Emergency planning

Local emergency responders are working on formalizing a plan for potential incidents at Portland Municipal Airport.

Portland firefighter Zach Hudson presented information to the city’s aviation board Wednesday regarding work toward creating a plan and providing training to familiarize emergency responders with the airport.

Hudson said he, Fire Chief Mike Weitzel and Jay County Emergency Management Agency director Samantha Rhodehamel have been working toward creating a standard operating procedure for emergency responses at the airport. He suggested that the new apron expansion, which is nearing completion, could be used as a staging site for emergency responders in the case of a mass casualty incident.

He added that the goal is to have a written document ready by mid-February, as plans are in place to have a training session open to all emergency response agencies in the county on Feb. 21 at the Sonrise Aviation hangar.

Hudson said discussions have included installing signs to direct emergency responders, adding that they would be especially helpful if there was a serious incident that required assistance from other counties.

Aviation board member Faron Parr, Clyde Bray, Caleb Lutes and John Ferguson expressed support for the efforts and agreed that the expanded apron area would make sense for staging.

“If you need any help from us, just let us know,” said Parr, the board’s president.

Jason Clearwaters of engineering firm Butler, Fairman & Seufert reported that the $965,497 apron expansion project, which is being handled by Kwest Group, is going well and should be complete in the next few weeks. It will add 57,700 square feet to the apron, where aircraft are parked, loaded, unloaded, refueled, boarded and maintained.

Board members approved a $688,000.62 pay request from Kwest Group for the project for work completed between Sept. 6 and Oct. 11, with 5% retainage held back. They also approved reimbursement requests totaling $336,527.67 and $314,064.43 for two Federal Aviation Administration grants that are being used to fund the project. In both cases, the grants are paid 95% by the FAA, with Indiana Department of Transportation and the city each responsible for 2.5%.

Clearwaters also shared a draft of the airport’s five-year capital improvement plan. It calls for 4,000 feet of runway pavement to be rehabilitated and the replacement of the airport’s automated weather observing station in 2026. (Construction of a 10-unit T-hangar is also in the plan if state funds are available, though Clearwaters said he does not expect that to be the case.) Future projects include design of the existing apron reconstruction in 2027, construction of the apron in 2028, design of a wildlife control and security fence in 2029 and construction of the fence in 2030 and ’31.

He plans to return with a final draft for approval next month. It is due to the FAA by Dec. 1.

Clearwaters noted that information presented at the Aviation Indiana Conference earlier this month indicated that up to $100,000 in state funding per airport will be available on a 75/25 matching basis. He said the program will be funded with $5 million per year.

In other business, the board:

•Responding to a question from Portland clerk-treasurer Lori Phillips, confirmed that it plans to leave the current hangar rent at $100/month with no increase for 2026. Phillips asked because rental contracts need to be sent out in the next month.

•Learned the following from airport manager Hal Tavzel’s report, which Parr read in his absence:

   —The airport sold 7,772 gallons of fuel in September for $35,255.76, up from 6,652 gallons last year.

   —Carl Isch of Geneva recently received his commercial pilot’s license at the airport.

   —Sparling Corporation will be at the airport in the next few weeks to clean the fuel tanks.

   —Repairs may be needed to some deteriorating pavement in front of hangars as well as upgrades to the terminal involving paint, carpet, counter and the ceiling.

•Approved the following: the annual financial report, which notes that the airport received $76,748 in federal grant funding for fiscal year 2025, which ended Sept. 30, and the payment of $1,665.05 in claims.