Board gives OK to 5-year plan

Midway through the largest local airport project in decades, officials are already looking ahead to what might be next.

Portland Board of Aviation, which is in the midst of extending Portland Municipal Airport’s runway to 5,500 feet from the current 4,000 feet, on Wednesday approved its five-year capital improvement plan for 2023 through 2027.

The capital improvement plan the board OK’d Wednesday includes expanding the terminal apron in 2023, constructing a wildlife control and security fence and a 10-unit T-hangar in 2025 and reconstructing the current terminal apron in 2027. Also included in the plan are planning, design and environmental assessments, as necessary, for those projects.

The airport will seek $186,305 in Federal Aviation Administration funding in 2022 for a wildlife hazard assessment and wildlife hazard management plan as well as environmental assessment and design for the terminal apron expansion.

The FAA has requested that the facility consider the possibility of a wildlife fence after a Cessna 301 aircraft struck a deer while landing at the airport June 18. No injuries were reported, but the aircraft sustained severe damage.

The capital improvement plan also notes that the airport completed $67,000 in pavement work this year.

It will be submitted to the FAA for approval.

The board also approved project orders with engineering firm Butler, Fairman and Seufert to begin the wildlife hazard assessment and the design for the terminal apron expansion. It also voted to submit a pre-application to the FAA for grant funding for those projects.

While it looks ahead, the airport is about halfway through its runway extension project. The bulk of the first phase of the project — leveling the land to the west of the current runway and enclosing 555 feet of Alexander Ditch — is complete. HIS Constructors of Indianapolis is slated to return in April to finish the remaining work.

Butler, Fairman and Seufert is currently reviewing data to make sure the airport land is properly graded for the extension.

Milestone Contractors is handling the second phase of the project — paving and lighting — and is expected to begin that work in late spring 2022.

Jason Clearwaters of Butler, Fairman and Seufert also reported HIS Constructors has done some work at the property of Cindy and Greg Whitenack in the last month. The Whitenacks provided the dirt to level the land west of the current runway to allow for the extension, and Cindy had visited the last aviation board meeting to express concern that HIS Constructors did not meet the specifications of its agreement.

Portland Mayor John Boggs also appointed John Ferguson to fill the board seat that will be open at the end of the year. John Lyons, who is the board’s president and has served for nine years, is resigning from the board.

In other business, the board:

•Selected a bid of $350 per acre from Chris Muhlenkamp to farm 27 acres of farm ground owned by the airport. The contract is contingent on manure not being used on the land. If that stipulation is not agreed upon, the aviation board will move on to the next highest bid.

•Approved two FAA pay requests for grants, one for $32,811.64 and the other for $7,595. The board also approved submitting financial reports on all open FAA grants.

•Learned the airport sold 5,452.97 gallons of fuel in November for $21,886.13. That’s up from 5,042 gallons sold in November 2019.

•Heard Dalton’s Concrete Construction recently completed concrete work in an airport hangar.

•Learned the airport rented another of its hangars. Airport employee Matt Simmons also reported that several hangar doors were damaged in the recent high winds.

•Paid $450.32 in claims.