Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Airports topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Daggett County moves to label Manila and Dutch John airports "unattended" and tighten safety notices
Summary
County staff at the June 3 meeting recommended marking Manila and Dutch John airports as "unattended—no services," updating a contact/closure list, providing handheld radios, and writing simple training guidance for closure and maintenance notifications.
Daggett County staff and commissioners discussed updating pilot-facing information and internal procedures for the Manila and Dutch John airports during the commission meeting on June 3.
County staff proposed adding the notation "unattended — no services" to pilot information for both airports and drafting a short guidance paragraph for county personnel on how to notify pilots and post temporary airport closures. The change is intended to reduce pilot confusion about available fuel and runway services and to encourage standard safety checks, such as flying the runway before landing.
The discussion covered how to notify pilots and the public when maintenance or construction requires temporarily closing a runway. Staff said the sheriff's office previously asked that named individuals, rather than 911 dispatch, be on a closure-contact list so a single call could notify responsible parties. Commissioners and staff agreed the list should include local maintenance personnel; one exchange clarified that Trevor Brooksby, who plows and maintains runways, would be added. Brooksby said, "I don't mind being on there." County staff also identified Sean Hughes and maintenance worker Jesse as names to add to the contact list and said they will update the list and circulate it.
Staff recommended buying at least one handheld aviation radio for each airport so maintenance crews can monitor/announce activity while working on runways. Commissioners asked county maintenance to check existing equipment and report back; staff agreed to consult Jesse on county inventory and to coordinate procurement if radios are needed. One county commenter cautioned that uncontrolled airports do not legally require radios, saying, "You don't need a radio. You don't need anything," but supporters said radios and a short notification procedure would improve safety.
Other operational items discussed included installing or clarifying rotating-light signals for maintenance vehicles, preparing a short operations/maintenance manual (the operations manual is part of an instrument-landing-approach process and required for an ILA), and clearing weeds and brush near runways. Staff reported a recent resident complaint that weeds in the runway area impeded spraying and crossing the surface; maintenance said it will address vegetation control and coordinate with road crews for heavier equipment when needed.
No formal vote was taken. Staff agreed to: (1) add Trevor Brooksby and Sean Hughes to the airport contact list; (2) check county radio inventory with Jesse and, if required, purchase handheld radios; (3) draft a one-page guidance paragraph for closures and pilot notifications; and (4) prepare an operations/maintenance manual draft for both airports.
The county also noted that the state will conduct a flyover to assess runway cracking; that assessment may prompt further maintenance planning.
