Commission pushes for fuel‑system siting that preserves aircraft movement as FAA flags taxiway concerns

Grant County commissioners and airport engineering staff reviewed revised siting options Feb. 9 aimed at placing the airport fuel system on existing pavement to prioritize tank purchase and make fueling operational without immediate apron construction.

“Putting the fuel tanks where there is existing pavement lets us get the tanks in and operational and defer expensive apron work,” Mark Hagedorn said while presenting multiple layout concepts. Mark said the design was scaled to fit current grant funding by avoiding immediate construction of a new apron.

The FAA raised a planning concern that the proposed location could “block” what it views as a parallel taxi lane on the Airport Layout Plan, prompting Mark to present alternatives that would improve aircraft routing around fueling activity and reduce cross‑traffic. Commissioners emphasized preserving wide connectors and avoiding options that would create constrained ingress/egress or force aircraft repositioning when multiple aircraft are staged.

Commissioners generally favored a layout that maintains open movement while giving the FAA a narrative that supports the fuel project. Mark said he would carry the commission’s ranked preference to the FAA and press for acceptance of more open connectors where feasible so the fuel acquisition can proceed.

Next steps: engineering will refine a preferred layout that balances operational flow and FAA planning concerns and return with a recommended plan for FAA review.