Board considers new projects

After a state runway inspection found no major problems at Portland Municipal Airport, money may be freed up to pursue other projects at the facility this summer.

Airport manager Hal Tavzel recommended a series of possibly upgrades to the airport facilities to Portland Board of Aviation at its Tuesday meeting.

The board also discussed the possibility of purchasing land for road access to the already acquired land that will be a part of the runway extension and discussed an easement that would allow tree trimming southwest of the airport.

Tavzel told the board that results from Indiana Department of Transportation’s pavement condition report found no major problems with the airport’s runway, though Tavzel added that there will need to be some crack maintenance in the next couple of years. Because of the positive results from the report, Tavzel proposed a series of other projects that the board could consider.

The projects include widening the pavement entrance into a hangar where the tenant’s plane is too large to completely fit onto the existing entrance, widening of a taxiway to accommodate larger planes without risk of striking hangars, repainting the airport’s T hangars and sealing the tarmac to prevent deterioration.

Board members John Lyons, Mitch Sutton and Dick Baldauf, absent Jim Runkle, were receptive to Tavzel’s proposals and asked him to get quotes for all the proposed projects.

They also discussed with Richard Schafer the possibility of purchasing a sliver of his land west of the airport that would provide access to the road for the addition of the 1,500-foot runway extension.

Schafer was open to the purchase, and engineer Jason Clearwaters also pointed out that the airport has an easement on woods southwest of the airport for tree trimming. Schafer said there was a fatal airplane accident there about 20 years ago, and added he has no problem with tree trimming it that area, though he’d prefer the trees be cut down rather than just the tops trimmed.

In other business, the board:

•Heard from Tavzel that the airport sold $20,181.63 worth of fuel in May, totaling 6,005 gallons. So far in June the airport has sold $6,395.19 in fuel, totaling 1,944 gallons.

•Discussed the removal of the trailer that served as a temporary base for Lutheran Air personnel and the completion of work to add a larger stone parking lot north of the airport terminal.

•Approved $5,842.82 in claims.