Airport work expands (1/22/04)

Federal funds will be requested in March for a growing list of improvement projects at the Portland Municipal Airport.

The Portland Aviation Board added several new projects to the list at its meeting Wednesday. The list will be finalized at the board’s Feb. 18 meeting and added to an application for the federal Capital Improvement Program.

The board’s current list contains five long-term projects that total more than $2.3 million, including an approximately 50-acre land acquisition, phase one and phase two of the parallel taxiway extension project, a runway extension project and installing security fencing around some of the airport property lines.

Board members Glynn Barber, Phil Johanns and Leo Garringer suggested adding more parking at the airport, building a new terminal building and creating a new fuel facility for planes to its planned projects.

The list will be juggled in order of project importance and submitted by March 1 with the airport’s application for funding to the aeronautics section of the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Also Wednesday, board president Barber announced that Gary Gibson of Portland will replace Linda Kennedy on the aviation board.

Barber was elected board president, and Johanns was named vice president.

In other business, Barber announced that he will be attending the Aviation Association of Indiana meeting in Indianapolis on Thursday, Jan. 29.

This quarterly meeting gives members of this association a chance to discuss upcoming airport plans with state legislators who will be in attendance.[[In-content Ad]]