Commission approves amended 2025 Manila Airport layout plan; staff discuss crack sealing and funding coordination

The Daggett County Commission approved the amended 2025 Manila Airport layout plan, a document state aeronautics staff reviewed and signed. Staff said the amendments were minor — adding the airport beacon and clarifying building-setback distances — and that the document allows the county to proceed with projects that conform to the current airport plan.

Why it matters: The airport layout plan (ALP) governs where airport projects may be sited and is a prerequisite for many state and federal project approvals and grant requests. Approval also clears a path for budgeting and sequencing of maintenance and capital work at both the Manila and Dutch John airports.

Key points from the meeting

- ALP changes and approval: The amended 2025 ALP reflects only small edits (notably noting the airport beacon and building-setback distances of 25 and 35 feet in the plan) and the state aeronautics office signed the reviewed copy. Commissioners voted to approve the plan; staff will circulate a signed copy.

- Crack-seal and pavement timing: Commissioners and airport staff discussed crack-seal timing and whether to proceed this fall or wait until the larger reconstruction project for the Dutch John runway. Staff noted crack sealing should be done in appropriate seasonal conditions and that doing crack seal sooner could reduce further pavement deterioration, but the decision depends on available funding and the state scheduling/assessment results.

- Funding coordination (Black Cat and CIB): Staff discussed using the state Black Cat portal for reimbursement requests and coordinating grant matches through agencies such as the Community Impact Board (CIB). County staff were asked to develop a prioritized, 5-year airport improvement list so projects can be placed into Black Cat or other grant cycles. The commission designated staff to coordinate with regional partners, engineering (SIPCO referenced) and Craig Campbell (Bridal/Bernal airport manager) to identify shared resources (Campbell offered fuel trucks as a potential resource).

- Dutch John and Manila sequencing: Commissioners discussed combining crack-seal work across both airports if funding and contractor scheduling allow; staff will check Black Cat availability for Dutch John and confirm timing with state aeronautics assessments.

Next steps and implementation

Staff will: - Circulate the fully signed 2025 ALP and file it in county records. - Prepare a prioritized multi-year list of airport improvements for Black Cat/CIB consideration and coordinate with regional airport partners and SIPCO (engineer of record) on scheduling and project scopes. - Verify whether crack sealing can be completed this fall for Manila and whether Dutch John can be included in the same contract without jeopardizing future larger reconstruction efforts.

Ending

The commission approved the amended ALP and asked staff to pursue project scheduling and funding options with state aeronautics and regional partners; a signed copy of the plan will be distributed to commissioners and appropriate county staff.