City staff to prepare runway‑shift resolution after public workshops; council told change could save millions and reduce noise impact

Prescott — Airport Director Rick Kreider and aviation planner Charlie McDermott of Dibble Engineering briefed the Prescott City Council study session on Sept. 23 on a proposal to shift the primary runway at Prescott Regional Airport and to extend and strengthen it for larger aircraft.

McDermott said the change — described by the Federal Aviation Administration as a “runway shift” — would relocate some existing pavement from one end of the runway to the other (moving the runway threshold) and add new pavement at the far end. He told council staff would prepare a formal resolution for council consideration next month if the council agrees on the approach: “that’s called a runway shift… taking some pavement off one end and putting new pavement on the other end.”

Engineers and airport staff said the benefits include placing the runway protection zone entirely on airport property, moving takeoff and climb noise farther from the Deepwell Ranch community, eliminating obstacles that now penetrate the OEI departure surface, and reducing the need for large land acquisitions on the south side of the airport. McDermott told council that, if the shift is adopted, seven of eight previously considered south‑side parcels would no longer need to be purchased — an estimated avoidance of roughly $14 million in acquisition costs; staff said that, after accounting for required new acquisitions and project costs, a back‑of‑envelope estimate showed a possible net savings on the order of several million dollars.

The briefing included a summary of community outreach: Dibble held two open houses in June that drew about 61 and 40 residents, and the firm received 27 written comment cards. McDermott said most attendees expressed support for the airport’s engagement and that common concerns included flight‑path noise, hours of operation and activities of flight schools.

Technical details presented to council: the proposed shift would change the location of the departure OEI splay so that obstacles and terrain no longer penetrate the protected surface; the proposal also shows an end‑around taxiway for general aviation access around the relocated threshold and the longer term runway extension and strengthening to support heavier aircraft types (design details will follow during environmental review and final design). McDermott emphasized the shift does not mean rotating the runway’s alignment — it is a longitudinal relocation of usable pavement and thresholds.

Councilmembers and staff discussed alternatives, costs and public process. Council members asked whether existing pavement could simply be left in place and striped off; staff and consultants said pavement might be retained for emergency use or removed depending on condition, but until it is formally disabled the OEI splay would not change. Council members also asked about the engineering thickness needed to support larger aircraft; staff said the new pavement would be designed for the identified critical aircraft and that strengthening of adjacent pavement would be part of later work.

Council members noted prior council direction to acquire land and extend the runway and asked how the shift affects those plans. McDermott and city staff said the recently acquired parcel (the “South Ranch”/AD parcel) provides space for the shift and extension, and that shifting the threshold would substantially reduce the need to acquire multiple south‑side parcels previously under consideration.

No formal vote was taken at the study session. McDermott said staff will prepare a resolution reflecting the runway‑shift approach and bring it back to council for formal action. Council members generally voiced support for moving forward with a resolution and additional environmental and design work; several noted the safety benefits for single‑engine training aircraft and the potential to reduce community noise impacts.

Next steps: staff will include the runway shift and associated drawings in a revised Airport Layout Plan (ALP) submitted to the FAA; the project will proceed through environmental review (NEPA), updated noise contours and design work, and will return to council for resolution and any required property or funding approvals.