Airport Commission hears year-long FAA tower study, runway work and RPZ property purchases

Airport staff gave the Airport Commission a progress report on runway and approach work, purchases of properties inside the runway protection zone (RPZ), and the FAA's emerging role in siting a proposed contract control tower.

The update said the airport has completed a paving phase that included a new blast pad and a shifted runway threshold, and that the commission has acquired six of the eight units located inside the RPZ. Two remaining units were described in discussion by number but not confirmed in the meeting record.

"The blast pad, as you recall, is built to runway standards," said Vincent Chad, airport staff member. "As of today, we've bought 6 of the 8 units. Just these 2 units ... are the only ones that are left. All the others have been purchased."

Why it matters: clearing or acquiring property in an RPZ reduces potential obstructions and land-use conflicts near runway ends and is a prerequisite for some future runway changes. Commission members were also briefed on subsurface drainage problems that have contributed to pavement cracking, and on additional pavement work planned near T-hanger areas.

Chad said the airport is working with consulting engineers to limit the work area and avoid unnecessary disturbance, and that NV5 is assembling archived aerial/sensor data the airport paid for to refine the design. He said NV5's data delivery has been slow and the airport is asking for more frequent updates.

The commission also discussed three candidate sites for a federal contract tower and the FAA's new approach to siting. Chad said the FAA will no longer accept third-party siting surveys and will conduct the siting analysis itself, which the airport was told will take about a year to complete.

"They're no longer taking the third party citing surveys and analysis that Dave Byers or Peter Deetz would do, and the FAA is doing it," Chad said. "They say they could do it in about a year to give us the full report."

Chad said the FAA will perform the site analysis and determine the needed tower height and location; the airport will provide updated ALP (airport layout plan) and survey data. He also described an administrative step in which the airport pays for initial FAA work and then receives reimbursement through the state's reimbursement agreement.

Commission members raised timing and staffing concerns about the FAA review process. Chad said recent staff turnover at the Aeronautics Division and at FAA offices had added uncertainty but that the airport would proceed with preliminary design work once the FAA provides location and height guidance.

On funding, staff said state airport project money is constrained and that the airport's projects for the year are focused on routine maintenance, the tower, and design for pavement near T-hangars. Chad and commissioners flagged uncertainty about future state appropriations and noted that, in some cases, state construction could be scheduled years after design.

The commission was also told that an area of private property near Swanston's parcel is coming to market and could affect a future 5,000-foot runway extension. Chad said staff has been talking with the realtor and the estate handling the sale.

The meeting record contains no formal action approving or rejecting the tower project; staff described next steps for surveys, FAA review, environmental screening and preliminary design.