CAA: GA News, "Shawnee, Oklahoma Airport Earns Outstanding Airport Award"

["Stephen Irwin" <stepheni@xxxxxxxxx>]

Friday, March 8, 2002 

Shawnee Airport earns Outstanding Airport Award 
By ANN KELLEY 
The Shawnee (OK) News-Star


The Shawnee Municipal Airport was honored Thursday with the Federal
Aviation Administration's 2001 Outstanding Airport Award.

Shawnee's airport was one of six airports recognized, along with the
Texas Department of Transportation by the FAA. The award, in the FAA's
five-state Southwest Region, came on day two of the FAA's annual
regional airports partnership conference in Fort Worth, Texas.

Airport of the Year for 2001 recognizes the outstanding contribution
airports make to enhance aviation in their states.

"We recognize airport owners and operators who have worked in a spirit
of cooperation with the FAA and the entire aviation community," Naomi L.
Saunders, FAA regional airport division manager, said. "This cooperation
is vital to accomplishing our common objectives of planning and building
the most safe and efficient system of airports in the nation."

Year 2001 Outstanding Airport Awards went to: Siloam Springs' Smith
Field, Arkansas; Minden/Webster Airport, Louisiana; Portales Municipal
Airport, New Mexico; Shawnee Municipal Airport, Oklahoma; and San
Antonio International Airport, Texas.

Owners of these airports were recognized for overall diligence in the
planning and implementation of projects, airport maintenance, use of
airport improvement program resources and compliance with safety
standards.

Shawnee City Manager Terry Powell said Shawnee beat out the hundreds of
other airports in Oklahoma.

Powell, who also is airport manager, said runway repair and
accomplishments by assistant-airport manager Lori Bowlan in the past
year are what made Shawnee's airport stand out as a winner.

Lamar Industries Inc., recently completed a $1 million project at the
Shawnee Municipal Airport that included paving repair, relocation of
threshold lighting, relocation of the PAPI system, crack filling and
seal coating the entire runway and taxiway stripping and markings.

The FAA bankrolled 90 percent of the project while the city funded 10
percent.

He said the FAA also took notice of Bowlan's work to help enhance the
airport's internal procedures, rules and regulations.

In 2001, Bowlan also wrestled with restructuring airport property
leases, reorganizing airport hangar rentals and negotiating with a new
fixed base operator for fuel services.

"I can't take all the credit," Bowlan said. "Just being here with all of
the other people who are in the business, I have an appreciation for how
fortunate Shawnee Municipal Airport is to have a concerned airport
advisory board, city commission and city engineering working to help
make all the changes that took place."

The FAA region's Airport Safety Award for 2001 went to the Dallas/Fort
Worth International Airport. The regional Environmental Achievement
Award went to the Texas Department of Transportation.


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