CAA: GA News, "Ohio airport manager making plans for pavement"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Wednesday, January 9, 2002 
 
Airport manager making plans for pavement
By WILLIAM LANEY
The Wapakoneta (OH) Daily News


NEW KNOXVILLE - The cracks in the Neil Armstrong Airport runway may soon
be filled, and if a Detroit concert promoter gets his way, the wail of
rock 'n' roll guitars may join the roar of engines at the county airport
this summer.

An Akron company recently contacted Airport Manager Gary Katterheinrich
with a deal to seal the cracks on the runway, the airport manager
reported Tuesday night to the Auglaize County Airport Authority.

DJ&L Inc. has offered to furnish a crack sealing machine and eight hours
of training at no cost to the Auglaize County Airport Authority if the
board purchases crack sealant and other materials from the Akron-based
company. Katterheinrich said he contacted County Engineer Doug Reinhart
and Gary Kuck about the amount of work that needed to be done.

"Doug wants to see if he can work with us on a time and materials plan,"
Katterheinrich told the board. "He was looking at using some of our
summer help working with Doug's help to keep some of this cost down. I
would think we could throw a lot of the cost out the window.
"I am going to pursue this unless somebody has any other ideas,"
Katterheinrich added.

At December's meeting, Katterheinrich had reported that the airport
received only one bid, from American Pavement Inc. for $24,800, and the
company would fill cracks only 1/2 inch or larger.

A grant through the Airport Investment Reform Act for the 21st Century
(AIR-21) to pay for resurfacing or putting a concrete overlay on the
runway may be contingent upon the cracks being filled and sealed. The
runway overlay currently is scheduled for 2003, according to the board's
Airport Community Improvement Plan.

The airport manager also reported he plans to continue discussing with
company officials at Crown Control of New Bremen the possibility of
using an airplane carousel in the company's hangar.

The carousel, manufactured by Rotomonodor of Decatur, Ind., spins planes
into their respective positions inside the hangar. It cuts costs because
only one door is needed instead of the same number of doors as planes.
Board members decided in December to test it for three months.

"In the meantime I will check with the people and see if Crown wants to
get involved," Katterheinrich said. "I will tell them we only want to
set it up for a couple of months. We will not be charging them. It is
not a money-making deal for us, it is just a learning experience."
Katterheinrich said the system has been delivered to the airport.

The carousel, which can handle up to six planes under 4,000 pounds each,
would cost approximately $20,000 if members of the airport authority or
a private customer wished to purchase it. Katterheinrich estimated the
cost of a new hangar is about $250,000.

Katterheinrich also told authority board members that Bryan Winter of
Detroit has contacted him about the possibility of renting the airport
for between three days and a week for a rock concert this summer. The
concert would result in a total shutdown of the airport for a week.

Katterheinrich told Winter he would need a letter of intent and proof of
insurance before members of the airport authority could consider it.

"Personally, I don't think that is what we are here for," Katterheinrich
said.
Authority members Phil Schlenker and John Hoge agreed.

No official vote will be taken until a letter of intent is received.


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