Hangars will get makeovers

Two of Portland Municipal Airport’s hangars will be getting makeovers. 

Portland Board of Aviation opened bids for work in and around hangars 20 and 21 at its meeting Wednesday afternoon. 

It also decided to become a member of Jay County Chamber of Commerce. 

Clint Blalock of Blalock Construction in Portland submitted a bid for the projects and attended Wednesday’s meeting to read through it with aviation board members. The work includes: 

•Replacing the ceiling in hangar 20 — $5,945.09.

•Replacing the ceiling in hangar 21 — $8,074.58.

•Installing a perimeter drain around both hangars leading to a ditch — $3,130. 

•Replacing boards on the floors of both hangars — $1,617.81.

TJ’s Concrete and Excavating of Portland also submitted a bid of $4,198.50 for the perimeter drain work. 

Board members John Lyons, Dick Baldauf, Faron Parr and Mitch Sutton voted to table the bids to research them more thoroughly. They also asked Blalock to submit an offer to repair the roof of hangar 21, which has a leak.   

“I feel like it would probably be a good move to have you give us an estimate on repairing the roof,” Sutton said. “I have a hard time moving forward without the roof being fixed first.” 

Also on Wednesday, the board voted to join Jay County Chamber of Commerce. 

At its March meeting, board members tabled the decision after hearing a presentation from executive director Dean Sanders. The cost will be $110 yearly and will give the board access to the chamber’s social media accounts, business contacts in the area and networking opportunities.

In other business, the board:  

•Learned that there has been no word on supplemental funding awards from the Federal Aviation Administration. Portland applied in October for a portion of $1 billion designated for rural airports. Awardees were expected to be announced already but the FAA has delayed several times. 

The money would be used to help pay to extend the airport’s runway from 4,000 feet to 5,500 feet.

•Heard that the Experimental Aircraft Association will host a Young Eagles event from 9 a.m. to noon on July 13 at the airport. Children between the ages of 8 and 17 will be able to take free flights.

•Learned the airport sold 4,672 gallons of fuel in March for $17,086.95. In March 2018,  it sold 5,320 gallons to bring in $20,841.

•Approved claims of $767.64.