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Council hears airport update; staff proposes temporary apron work to use runway shutdown window
Summary
City staff updated council on airport planning and a TxDOT-runway rehabilitation that will shut the field for the summer; staff proposed an expanded apron near the flight school paid with a combination of bond funds, airport construction funds and private match to increase short-term parking capacity.
Staff briefed the Nacogdoches City Council on Feb. 3 about airport facilities, recent grants and a TxDOT runway rehabilitation project expected to close the airport for much of the summer. Mike New, executive director of development and infrastructure, said voters approved $7.3 million in bonds for airport rehabilitation and the city signed a $5.4 million TxDOT agreement to perform pavement work on the 5,000-foot runway. TxDOT held a pre-bid meeting earlier that day for the runway rehabilitation.
New proposed the city pursue a targeted, short-term expansion of the apron near the flight school to provide temporary aircraft parking capacity during and after the runway work. He said a surface-asphalt apron could be built to a design that does not conflict with the long-term airport layout plan and that staff would coordinate timing with TxDOT so both projects can proceed with minimal interference.
New noted the airport layout plan full buildout could cost as much as $300 million over decades; for near-term work the city has $225,000 in airport construction funds donated by the Elliott Family Foundation and $1.5 million budgeted in FY26 for terminal development. Colin Smith, airport manager, told council the expanded apron would relieve a bottleneck that limits parking for larger aircraft and support flight-school operations. No formal action was requested.
