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Broadwater County commissioners approve hangar build order, hear airport construction update
Summary
Commissioners approved an airport board plan to build new hangars east to west and heard a construction update saying runway work, edge drains and electrical are underway with paving planned in August and FAA-funded improvements covering most costs.
Broadwater County commissioners on a voice vote approved an airport board recommendation to build a new row of hangars at the Broadwater County Airport from east to west and established minimum sizes and placement rules for future hangars.
The move followed a construction update from Dwight Thompson, the airport manager, and contractor Buster Bullock. Thompson said the runway footprint is not changing and described airport board decisions to keep the field a manageable size for maintenance and emergency access. “The runway is not changing the footprint. It's the same size as it was before,” Thompson said. He said the airport board prioritized a durable, maintainable layout and added a drain system the airport previously lacked.
Contractor Buster Bullock gave a schedule update and said site excavation and grading are complete, edge drains are installed and the project is accepting gravel. “We've probably got two weeks of gravel, and our plan is to start paving on the August 11, which we believe is an eight-day process depending on rainstorms,” Bullock said. He also said electrical lighting and other work are underway and that final paving and seeding windows will stretch into October.
The commissioners’ motion — moved and seconded and adopted by voice vote — implemented three principal points from a prior airport board meeting: build hangars from east to west; allow hangars up to 50 feet wide and 35 feet deep while leaving at least one space reserved for future hangar use on a first-come, first-served basis; and maintain a minimum 42-foot-by-40-foot size on the new taxiway north and south sides with discretion applied case by case. The motion was recorded as approved by voice vote; no roll-call tally was provided.
Commissioners and speakers noted demand: Thompson said nearby airports (Belgrade, Bozeman, Three Forks and Helena) are out of hangar space and the county already has a waiting list. He also described an area identified for a possible fixed-base operator (FBO) to support maintenance, flight instruction and other services. Commissioners discussed protections to ensure ground leased for private hangars remains usable if owners change.
Speakers emphasized federal funding: the county representative said FAA grants are covering the majority of the project cost (about 90–95 percent) with the state covering the remainder. Commissioners said they are coordinating plans for a public open house and potential community events tied to the airport reopening, including a pancake breakfast and a possible tie-in with the county's fall festival.
No public objections were recorded during the hearing. Several county participants thanked the airport board and RPA engineering staff for project work and paperwork coordination.
The commissioners recorded the motion as passed and said they will keep project records in the minutes so future commissioners can trace decisions about hangar siting and lease terms.
