"Modesto, California OKs airport improvement 'wish list'"

Thursday, December 13, 2001

Modesto OKs airport improvement 'wish list' 
By MELANIE TURNER
THE MODESTO (CA) BEE


The Modesto City Council on Tuesday helped position its airport for
future expansion.

For starters, the city is seeking federal funds to reconstruct the
runway, with pavement evaluation work to begin as early as this week.
Federal money also is being sought to expand the parking lot and runway
beginning in 2004 and 2005, respectively.

At the same time, officials are moving ahead to complete an airport
master plan, necessary for the city to be eligible for additional
funding.

The city received a $270,000 federal grant last year to complete a
master plan for future airport construction. Tuesday, the council
approved an agreement for $596,000 with Coffman Associates, Inc., of
Kansas City, Mo., to do just that.

Money from the Federal Aviation Administration grant will be used to
partially reimburse the airport for this expense.

The council also approved an airport capital improvement plan -- a "wish
list" of projects to help the FAA plan for the airport's future funding.

Projects total about $17 million, 90 percent of which would be funded
with federal dollars.

The following capital improvement plan projects make up the majority of
requests for federal funds:

Airport runway reconstruction. When the surface was laid 10 years ago,
the FAA and the city expected it to last 15 years. The pavement already
is beginning to crumble.

The total cost of reconstruction is estimated at $2.78 million. The city
is seeking $2.5 million in federal dollars. Passenger fees are used for
local matches.

One theory behind the crumbling runway, airport Manager Howard Cook
said, is that the pavement was designed for lighter aircraft. Last
year's increase in traffic by heavier jets took a toll.

Last week, the council hired airport engineering firm Shutt Moen
Associates of Santa Rosa to evaluate the runway pavement. The deal is
worth $49,500. Work begins this week, Cook said.

Noise program update. The outdated airport noise program was completed
in 1993, before new aircraft noise laws were implemented.

It was determined in '93 that by now, people living in 1,050 homes
within the airport vicinity could be close enough to sustain hearing
damage. But, said Cook, "that has not happened."

The fleet mix is different than what was anticipated in '93, and
airplanes are quieter than they used to be because of the noise laws
enacted, he said.

The city is seeking $270,000 in federal dollars to update its noise
program. Doing so would make the city eligible for federal funds to help
soundproof homes in the area, on a voluntary basis.

Homeowners near the airport could opt for soundproofing in exchange for
an agreement to not complain about noise. Current noise levels also must
be determined before the airport can take on additional jet service.

The city has a marketing program to attract regional jet service between
Modesto and Los Angeles. That effort stalled after the Sept. 11
terrorist attacks.

Property acquisition and runway expansion totaling $12 million. The
airport proposes expanding the 5,911-foot runway by 800 feet, and
acquiring about a block and a half of county property east of Empire
Avenue. Work is not proposed to begin until 2004.

New noise technology makes for quieter engines, but also means airplanes
can't get airborne as quickly in the summer when the temperature is high
and the air is thinner, Cook said.

If the airport becomes busier in the future -- with more commercial and
private jets flying in and out of Modesto -- more pilots may want to
take off during hot afternoons, and a longer runway will be needed, he
said.

Other long-term projects included in the plan are the expansion of the
airport passenger parking lot, and new pavement for hangar taxi lanes.

In January, the city will submit a formal application for capital
improvement projects to the FAA.


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