Leftover $ could be used for AWOS

The airport will use some of its federal infrastructure bill funding to expand its apron.

What’s left over could be used to install a new weather station.

Portland Board of Aviation heard information about the weather station during its brief meeting Wednesday.

Airport manager Hal Tavzel told the board in December that it is time to consider installing a new automated weather observing system (AWOS). He explained at that time that such systems typically have a life of about 15 years. The current system at Portland Municipal Airport is 23 years old.

Jason Clearwaters of engineering firm Butler, Fairman & Seufert said Wednesday that the airport will have funds left over from its infrastructure bill allotment this year after using some of that money to pay for a portion of the apron expansion project. He estimated there would be $44,000 left from this year’s allocation. That, combined with an estimated $137,000 allocation in 2026 and the required state and local matching funds would make about $200,000 available for another project at the airport.

Clearwaters reported that two recent automated weather observing system replacements his firm has been involved in have had price tags of $181,000 and $225,000. He told board members Faron Parr, Clyde Bray and Caleb Lutes, absent John Ferguson, that the system should be considered for addition to the airport’s capital improvement plan when it is updated later this year.

The apron expansion is project is scheduled for late this summer. Related to that project, the board approved an FAA grant payment request totaling $10,509.04.

Clearwaters added that he is in the process of putting together a Federal Aviation Administration grant application for the design of a runway pavement project. Applications are due in late April.

Board members also gave official approval for the purchase of new runway end lights at a cost of $15,380 from Ludwig Contracting of Brookville. (They had previously approved such a purchase, but had set a limit of $15,000.)

In other business, the board:

•Heard the following from Tavzel:

   —The airport sold 3,351 gallons of fuel in January for $13,982.19. That’s up from 2,742 gallons in January 2024.

   —The fuel dispenser’s hard drive that allows for automated transactions failed, resulting in only manual use for a few days. The hard drive was replaced at a cost of about $2,500.

   —Equipment to upgrade the airport’s electrical vault is in. It should be installed in the next few weeks.

•Approved the payment of claims totaling $6,371.09.