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Contractor to U.S. Fish and Wildlife expresses interest in hangar and helipad at Hurricane Airport; board open to further review
Summary
A private contractor under contract with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asked the Hurricane City Airport Board to consider siting a hangar and a small helipad; the board expressed conditional openness but asked for commitments on subleasing and operational limits.
HURRICANE, Utah — A private contractor under contract with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service asked the Hurricane City Airport Board to explore the feasibility of constructing a hangar and a small helipad at Hurricane City Airport.
Board members heard that the contractor's operations would likely be seasonal and intermittent: the company described a pattern of basing aircraft in the region for part of the year and relocating elsewhere for other months. The contractor's representative was not present at the meeting; a board member reported the company typically performs wildlife capture, tagging and monitoring flights and that some crews operate from the airport for two- to three-week periods.
Board members discussed likely siting options. One possibility raised was at the south end of the runway, which would separate helicopter operations from fixed-wing traffic; another option discussed was behind the animal-control area, where sewer access would be easier to provide (the contractor noted a need for sewer infrastructure if a hangar is located at the south end). The board noted the airport master plan previously showed a helipad in an earlier draft but that the current airport layout plan does not include a new helipad; an update to the airport layout plan is on the capital improvement schedule for 2027-2028.
Members voiced two conditions that would make them more comfortable approving a lease: (1) that the contractor commit not to sublease the hangar or helipad for unrelated flight-school or other helicopter-operations use; and (2) that the lease include operational restrictions (for example, limiting routine training or pattern work from the helipad). One board member said, "If they're going to build a hangar and sign a lease, we can put restrictions like that in the lease agreement." The board also asked the contractor to appear at a future meeting to answer questions.
Board staff said the airport's master plan update is scheduled in the capital improvement plan; staff emphasized a developer or tenant could pursue a hangar and apron in the near term without waiting for the master-plan update, though some site-specific items may require plan amendments. The board encouraged the contractor to appear at the next meeting to present specifics about aircraft types, frequency of operations and any infrastructure needs.
What's next: Staff will contact the contractor with the board's request that the company present at the next airport board meeting and provide details about aircraft types, seasonal schedule, intended hangar use and whether the company will commit to lease restrictions on subleasing or flight-school operations.
