Powell council lets airport master-plan team proceed to final approvals after presentation

Consultants on the Powell airport master plan presented a draft final plan to the Powell City Council and the council voted to allow staff to proceed to legal review and seek final approvals from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Wyoming Department of Transportation.

The consultant on the master-plan team summarized the work as a 20-year aviation demand and capital program, saying the plan documents the airport’s current use, forecasts future needs and creates an Airport Layout Plan that the FAA and YDOT will use to judge grant eligibility. “The goal of a master plan is to first look at what’s happening at the airport to inform not only yourselves, the community, but also YDOT and the FAA,” the consultant said.

The consultant said the study estimates current annual operations at just under 5,000 and projects a net increase of roughly 1,200–1,500 operations annually over 20 years. Based aircraft are about 33 now, with a net gain of roughly 10 aircraft projected over two decades. The FAA has identified the airport’s critical aircraft as a “B2” (King Air category), which largely sets design standards for airfield work, the consultant said.

The draft plan lays out a staging and cost estimate for capital needs: roughly $6 million of projects in the first five years (about $5.54 million potentially eligible for state and federal grants and about $200,000 local share if grant assumptions hold); intermediate projects of roughly $14–15 million with an estimated $6.5 million local share; and a long‑term runway-extension project estimated at $12 million. The presenter said the total 20‑year program is just under $40 million with roughly $28–29 million potentially eligible for grants and about $9 million shown as local share under the current staging assumptions.

The consultant described primary funding sources as the FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) entitlement and discretionary funds, state grants through YDOT and the one‑time IIJA (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) funding stream (IIJA authorizations expire this year though unobligated funds may be spent through 2030). The consultant warned that discretionary AIP funds are competitive nationwide and that some development such as private hangars or industrial uses may not be AIP‑eligible and could require public–private partnerships.

When council members asked about coordination with county land‑use planning — because much of the land around the airport is in county jurisdiction — the consultant said the team had the county’s information and recommended continued integration between city and county review and permitting to protect airport interests. The consultant also warned that uncoordinated projects such as wind farms or tall towers can trigger FAA concerns and complicate instrument procedures.

Council members moved to allow staff to proceed with the next steps, including legal review and submitting the Airport Layout Plan and remaining documentation to the FAA and YDOT for final approvals. The motion was moved and seconded; Councilmember Mahlon Babin was recorded voting “aye.” The transcript does not include a complete roll call in the excerpt provided.

The consultant said the final documentation would be completed once FAA and state approvals are secured and that the team expects to finish those steps in about six months, subject to agency review and any requested changes.

The presentation credited Shannon Burks as the primary author of the master‑plan document.

Votes at a glance: Council moved to allow staff to proceed with legal review and submission to FAA/YDOT; motion moved and seconded and recorded as passing in the meeting excerpt (complete roll-call details were not specified in the transcript excerpt).