The Carroll County Airport Commission met last week and looked ahead to another hangar construction project. Design work on a hangar 50 feet square has been completed, and the project is ready to go out for bids. A 90/10 matching grant will fund the project, and the airport’s share will come to $45,000. The grant includes money to upgrade another hangar.
An apron expansion is also planned for the coming year, and that will create space for more hangars. In the next few years, two more six-bay hangars are tentatively planned.
The airport will also have more space as Larkin Floyd’s lease expires. Floyd has struck an agreement with the airport to give up part of his property now, in exchange for an extension on the lease for his main building. Floyd has tenants renting hangars from him, and those tenants will stay in place until the airport creates new hangars for them to occupy. Commissioners spent time discussing potential construction projects in that area. The eventual plan might include changes to the road leading to that end of the airport.
At the July meeting, commissioners expressed varying degrees of dissatisfaction after a sealer was applied to the runway. The company that handled the application was sold to a new owner, and commissioners asked if the new owners would correct any shortcomings.
Most of the problem stemmed from the type of product used. Commissioners and others in the airport community expected a uniform dark surface, but the final product had a lot of variation in color. The product applied was more of a penetrating product, however, not a surface finish, so it did not yield the expected outcome.
The new owner volunteered to re-apply the sealer, but commissioners decided the problems are only cosmetic. They noted that part of the discoloration came because a seal coat had not been applied for 20 years. Since the goal of applying the seal coat was to extend life of the pavement, rather than the appearance, they opted to accept the seal coat to maintain a good relationship with the contractor.
The Federal Aviation Administration has sharply restricted the types of sealer that can be used at airports, and few contractors are available with the expertise to apply the product.
In other business:
- A pilot asked about setting up an Automated Weather Observing System that gives warnings to pilots about local weather. The closest stations to Berryville are in Harrison or Fayetteville. Commissioner Dave Teigen said the airport could probably get a grant for the initial costs but cost to operate the system would strain the airport’s budget. Everyone agreed that the system would help, especially with the anticipated growth in activity at the airport.
- Repairs to the door of the pilots’ lounge cost $1,050.
- Commissioner Morris Pate raised the possibility of an aviation art exhibition. Pate said he had organized a motorcycle art show when he served as mayor of Eureka Springs in 2013. He said that event was a success, and a similar event devoted to aviation could bring recognition to the airport. It might also bring in some money, he said. Pate pictured a display of paintings, sculpture, or other media, produced by local, regional, or national artists. He said he will do more research and report back.
- Commissioners discussed some other possible events, including a Christmas event for kids. A paper airplane contest was just held at the Harrison airport, and a similar event here might engage the public. A “flour bomb” drop a few years ago was very popular with pilots, and another drop may be scheduled in spring.
- Although fuel sales slowed in summer, Airport Manager Mark Pepple said another load of fuel will be needed soon. The purchase price of $4.60 will mean a pump price of $5.76.
- A pilot described problems at another airport where failing filters in the fuel supply led to water in the fuel. Pepple said he changes the airport’s fuel filter at prescribed intervals.