Runway rehab complete; airport staff urge coordinating master plan and long-term terminal planning
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Summary
Airport staff reported completion of a runway rehabilitation project and urged that the countys strategic planning process be coordinated with the federally required master plan to address long-term needs including the aging terminal building.
Airport staff told the Sawyer County Public Works Committee that the recently completed runway rehabilitation has returned the airport to full operation and that traffic levels have rebounded following a temporary shutdown earlier in the year.
“There were something like 30 jets in one day that came in and out,” airport staff said, describing a busier operating period. Staff said exact revenue figures remain pending until year-end accounting, but they were optimistic revenues have closed some of the gap created by the earlier shutdown.
Staff described the runway project as a multi-million-dollar capital improvement enrolled under the Airport Improvement Program (AIP). They said AIP-funded projects typically receive roughly 90% federal funding, 5% state funding and a 5% local match; the countys local portion for the runway rehabilitation was described as roughly $150,000 on a project that exceeded $4 million.
Committee members and airport staff discussed the countys master plan, which is required for continued federal funding eligibility. Staff said state-level reorganization and delays at the Wisconsin Bureau of Aeronautics have slowed master-plan approvals but that renewed local interest might move the plan forward. Staff recommended entwining the countys strategic plan with the master plan process so short- and long-term needs are aligned.
Staff also raised the terminal building (about 53–54 years old) as a facility that will need attention over a longer timeline. Work on the terminal will likely require a combination of federal funding for basic infrastructure and local or community contributions for interior finishes. Staff said repaving salvage value from the recent runway work (about $60,000) had already been identified to help prioritize some immediate terminal needs.
No formal county-level capital appropriation for a new terminal was decided; staff framed the terminal as a planning-level item that could require a decade of planning and community partner involvement if pursued.