Elko City ratifies FAA grants and advances phase‑2 of Elko Regional Airport focus planning study

The Elko City Council on Sept. 9 ratified Federal Aviation Administration grants that advance a phase‑2 focused planning study for the Elko Regional Airport and fund a pavement rehabilitation project intended to extend the airfield’s pavement life.

Airport staffer Jim McGinn told the council the phase‑1 study highlighted longstanding nonstandard conditions — including runway protection zone and runway object‑free‑area penetrations caused by nearby roads, buildings and equipment — and that FAA asked the city to study a proposed 90‑foot shift of the runway to the north and the feasibility of new instrument approaches. “We were built in 1917… it was a dirt strip back then,” McGinn said, underscoring how the airport’s layout predated modern design standards and now poses encroachment challenges.

McGinn outlined three alternatives previously considered — full relocation, shifting the runway toward the airport center, or a 90‑foot north shift — and said the study will examine whether declared distances or instrument procedures can be adjusted to reduce impacts. He also warned that some mitigation would require land acquisition: FAA funding covers the airport side of projects, he said, but “they won’t fund the municipality side of things.”

Councilors voted to ratify the FAA focused‑planning grant (EKO WPG 3320050622025) for phase 2, which FAA requested to evaluate the runway‑shift alternative and instrument‑approach feasibility. The grant carries a required 5% local match.

On a related airport matter, council approved ratification of an FAA pavement rehabilitation grant to address cracking and surface deterioration on runways, parallel taxiways and aprons. Staff said the lowest responsive bid for the pavement work was roughly $1.4 million and estimated the city’s 5% local match at about $75,000. McGinn told council the city will schedule work to avoid disrupting commercial air service when possible and may defer work to spring if seasonal cure times limit productivity.

Council also approved airport operational contracts tied to the facility during the same meeting, including a two‑year custodial services contract awarded to the lowest responsive bidder. McGinn said the city supplies consumables while the janitorial contractor provides equipment and supplies.

What’s next: staff will negotiate a contract with the consultant selected for phase 2 (Kaufman and Associates was referenced in the presentation) and return contracts and grant documents to council for formal approval and signatures. FAA decisions about modification of standards are expected to follow the phase‑2 analyses.