Airport is in holding pattern

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It’s a waiting game.

Portland Board of Aviation is in a holding pattern for the time being, waiting for a letter of approval from the Federal Aviation Administration for a grant for the next step in its runway extension project as well as comments on its airport layout plan.

At their meeting Wednesday, board members John Lyons, Jim Runkle and Dick Baldauf, absent Mitch Sutton, voted to allow any board member to sign the acceptance letter for the grant once it becomes available. Jason Clearwaters of Butler, Fairman & Seufert, the airport’s engineering firm, suggested the board adopt that policy for the grant because of the need to get the acceptance letter signed quickly.

The airport’s grant request is for $101,584 from the FAA with about $11,000 in additional funding from the state and the city. The money would be used for the design of the planned 1,500-foot runway extension.

A response to the grant application is expected later this month.

Clearwaters also informed the board that he has still not received comments on the airport’s layout plan, which has been in the FAA’s hands since November. At his request, the board agreed to sign a letter and send it to the FAA inquiring as to why the process has taken so long. He noted that the airport has $20,000 in costs eligible to be paid for with grant funding, but that those payments can not move forward without approval of the layout plan from the FAA.

The plan was originally submitted in November 2015, with the FAA returning it with comments in September 2016. The aviation board adjusted the plan and returned it to the FAA late last year.

In other business, the board:

•Awarded a contract to paint three T-hangars at the airport to Al Warnock at a cost of $12,640. The other quote for the work came from KBI of Union City at $12,903.

•Was reminded by Clearwaters that the Aviation Indiana Conference is OCt. 10 through 12 in Michigan City. Lyons said both he and Sutton plan to attend.

•Heard that pilots from Sonrise Aviation gave 105 airplane rides during the Aug. 26 fly-in at the airport.

•Learned 8,396 gallons of fuel were sold in August bringing in $31,649.05 in revenue. Those numbers are up by more than 1,000 gallons and $8,000 from the same time last year.

•Paid claims totaling $42,193.72.