The Carroll County Airport Commission held a long meeting Friday afternoon to view a draft of a new Airport Layout Plan.
Eric Pfeifer with Coffman Associates, had attended a CCAC meeting last June to share his company’s progress on the ALP. The Federal Aviation Administration mandated preparation of new master plans for airports and provided grants to pay for the plans. Future grants will generally only be available for projects identified in the long-term master plans.
At a preliminary presentation in June, Pfeifer outlined most of the major points for the master plan. After receiving further feedback, he presented a finished proposal. The ALP looks forward over 20 years to identify growth strategies.
This airport will continue to handle mostly small aircraft with piston engines. “This includes a whole gamut of small general aviation aircraft,” Pfeifer explained. The present runway length of 3,600 ft. limits the type of aircraft using the airport, although the runway can accommodate larger planes like the KingAir.
Attracting other classes of planes would require extending the runway, and Pfeifer outlined he problems the commission would face. At the eastern end of the runway, the terrain drops off sharply, and a residence and a county road would be affected. At the western end, the runway could only extend another 400 ft. before the slope would require major earthwork. Any runway extension would require the purchase of additional property and affect the safety zones around the runway.
Even with the limitations of the runway, Pfeifer said the number of planes based at the airport could grow from 34 to 56. There is currently a waiting list for hangars, so building new hangars will remain a priority. However, the airport is running out of space suitable for hangars.
Pfeifer asked commissioners to look over the draft in depth, and note questions or changes. He said the FAA would take several months to approve the ALP once it is submitted. The commission set a special meeting for noon on Friday, Feb. 26, to approve the draft before Pfeifer submits it to the FAA.
In other business, the commissioners awarded a contract to install a new gate to give better access to the south side of the airport. They had hoped to award the contract to a local company, but Modern Fence in Springdale entered a lower bid and included more detailed information about what their bid included.
The meeting concluded with a long discussion about snow removal on the runway. With forecasts calling for melting within a few days, commissioners decided against an attempt to clear the current snow. They considered possibilities for the future and looked at ways to plow the runway without covering or damaging runway lights.
This airport will receive $13,000 under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriation Act Airport Grant Program, signed into law at the end of December. CCA previously received $20,000 in stimulus funds under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
The meeting start was delayed for late arrivals, both in person and by Zoom.