Sawyer County committee approves pen-and-ink amendment to airport layout plan, forwards to county board

The Sawyer County Public Works Committee voted to approve a pen-and-ink amendment to the Sawyer County airport layout plan and agreed to forward the update to the full county board for signature.

Carl Kemper, an aviation consultant with Becker Hoppe Associates, told the committee the amendment is a minor, interim update to bring the airport layout plan (ALP) into compliance with current Federal Aviation Administration standards, particularly for runway protection zones (RPZs). "The airport layout plan is required to be kept up to date and kept on file locally and then also with the Federal Aviation Administration," Kemper said, adding that RPZs must be shown where they extend off airport property so the county can protect land uses and remain eligible for federal or state funding for airport improvements.

Kemper cited sponsor grant assurances and read the relevant language: "Grant assurance number 21, it says that the sponsor, which is Sawyer County, will take appropriate action to the extent reasonable, including the adoption of zoning laws to restrict the use of land adjacent to or in the immediate vicinity of the airport to activities and purposes compatible with normal airport operations." He said the pen-and-ink update mostly corrects property lines and RPZ depictions on the existing ALP rather than making major design changes.

A committee member moved to approve the ALP pen-and-ink amendment; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The committee recorded the motion as carried and instructed staff that, once signed by the sponsor's authorized representative, the amendment will be moved to the full county board for final action.

Kemper and airport staff said this amendment is an interim step while the county continues work on a broader master plan and full ALP update. Staff said state and FAA concurrence on forecast data remain outstanding; once those approvals come, an engineering firm will complete the full ALP update, which staff estimated could take roughly six months to produce.

The committee received the airport operational update that followed the vote; airport staff reported the new runway has been performing well during winter operations and described outreach with property owners adjacent to the airport who may be willing to sell land within RPZs. The ALP amendment was presented as a necessary administrative action to preserve federal funding eligibility and to reflect current FAA-mandated RPZ protection requirements.

Next steps: staff will obtain the sponsor signature authorized by the county and forward the pen-and-ink ALP amendment and supporting materials to the Sawyer County Board for formal acceptance and any additional action.