"South Dakota airport to rewrite master plan"

Friday, April 6, 2007

Airport to rewrite master plan
Review will address runway protection zones, other issues
By Jackie Burke
The Aberdeen (SD) American News


The Aberdeen Regional Airport will rewrite its master plan because of
questions about the runway protection zones.

Airport Manager Dave Osborn told airport board members on Thursday he met
with Federal Aviation Administration officials and two solutions were
reached for problems at Aberdeen's airport: an independent party reviews the
runway protection zones, or the airport rewrites its master plan, a project
that could cost between $200,000 and $250,000.

The runway protection zones are only some of the issues that the master plan
would work with.

Problems with the airport's runway protection zones surfaced after the FAA
recommended that the airport own the land in the protection zones or at
least forbid building there because of safety issues. Several businesses are
in the runway protection zones.

The protection zones at the ends of the runways are designed to protect
people and businesses in the event of a plane skidding off a runway.

At the Aberdeen Regional Airport, these trapezoid-shaped runway protection
zones are 1,500 feet long and 1,750 feet at the widest part of the trapezoid
at the ends of the runways.

Osborn said it made more sense to review the master plan of the airport
because the current plan is about 10 years old.

"The plan we have puts emphasis on the new terminal, not the airport," he
said.

He said reviewing the master plan would help any problems surrounding the
airport, not just the problem with the runway protection zones. He said
reviewing the plan would give the airlines, public and fixed-base operators
the chance to comment on the plan.

Terry Helms, of Helms and Associates, said just adjusting the runway
protection zones would cause other issues. For example, moving the runways
would cause problems with future development and possibly cause problems
with wildlife in the area, he said.

He said rewriting the master plan would review all those potential problems
and find a solution for most of them.

"The master plan is probably the right thing to do," he said. "There are
people that specialize in this kind of thing."

He said the airport in Bemidji, Minn., had many of the same problems
Aberdeen has and it would be a good idea to look into the firm that wrote
Bemidji's master plan.

Osborn said it's normal to rewrite master plans every 10 to 20 years. He
said plans are usually written for every 20 years, but changes over time -
such as problems with the runway protection zones - sometimes force airports
to rewrite plans early.

Osborn said it's important to fix any problems that arise over time because
it can affect the airport's funding from the FAA.

Airport board member Steve Kaiser said he's worried about the firm having
its own opinion and not listening to the opinions of Aberdonians.

Osborn said that while the firm would provide input and lend its expertise,
it is Aberdeen's plan.

"We direct the way it goes," he said.

Helms said the timeline for rewriting the plan could be anywhere from one
year to 18 months.

In other action Thursday, the airport board:

. Approved the pay request to Sixel Consulting Group for media buy and print
production for $10,203.30.

. Approved a change order for construction of the snow removal equipment
building.

. Approved the request to renew the contract with Bill Antonides for
wildlife hazard management.

. Increased the hangar rental rates to 11 cents per square foot. The airport
board also decided to remove the 5-foot border from the rental area.

. Set a rental rate of $21.50 per acre for the National Guard.

 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dcfp/dcboard.php


*****************************************