87°F
weather icon Clear

Airport gets nearly $2 million for runway improvements

The Boulder City Municipal Airport will receive a nearly $2 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to help pay for runway improvements.

According to Lisa LaPlante, communications manager for Boulder City, the FAA recently notified staff of its plans to award the airport approximately $1.7 million for its Taxiway A reconstruction and realignment project, which will improve safety at the facility.

“Safety is our number one concern here,” said Jennifer Lopez, airport manager. “This project will improve safety and also help us maintain good standing with the FAA. We appreciate our federal lawmakers who pressed for funding for Boulder City Airport.”

The estimated $2.3 million project also includes replacing deteriorated pavement and bringing the facility up to the required FAA design standard as well as replacing existing halogen lights on Runway 9/27 with LEDs and upgrading the airport’s electrical system.

“These upgrades are critical to helping keep pilots safe and making our airport a more sustainable entity,” said City Manager Al Noyola. “I applaud the staff at the airport for their hard work and diligence on obtaining funding for these upgrades.”

Lopez said the Taxiway A project is tentatively scheduled to start in mid-October.

The grant is provided through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program, which gives money to public airports to help them maintain and bolster aviation safety and infrastructure. It awards money based on project needs and the number of passengers at the airport.

“In September, additional discretionary funds could be released,” said LaPlante. “I hope to hear soon if we will be eligible for full funding, but staff here are prepared to scale back parts of the project, if necessary.”

In 2017, the Boulder City airport was recognized as the third-busiest airport in the state, determined by its number of commercial passenger boardings.

On April 10, City Council approved updating the airport’s master plan, which included possible short-term projects such as designing and constructing several taxiways; extending the runway by 300 feet; reconstructing the air vault field; building, designing and constructing a southeast area for aircraft to park and be loaded or unloaded; and constructing a conventional hangar in the southeast portion of the airport.

It also included long-term projects that would relocate runways and create additional parking and loading areas as well as more hangars, and separate commercial services and general aviation. Additionally, there are plans for an air traffic control tower, if needed.

Contact reporter Celia Shortt Goodyear at cgoodyear@bouldercityreview.com or at 702-586-9401. Follow her on Twitter @csgoodyear.

MOST READ
LISTEN TO THE TOP FIVE HERE
THE LATEST
Council confusion: The leash law saga continues

Three statements — notably, none of them from members of the city council — best illustrated the difficulties residents (both dog-loving and not) have had for at least four years when it comes to the issue of off-leash dogs in public parks.

Breeding in BC? Probably not

Unlike the discussion later in the meeting Tuesday night in which the city council appeared determined to make sure no one was angry at them about the issue of off-leash dogs, they directed staff to take very strong action on the issue of pet breeding.

Lifejacket donations aim to save lives

Greg Bell’s memory lives on by way of a generous donation that may saves lives.

Huge crowd turns out to honor Patton

It was brought up during Saturday’s unveiling of the Shane Patton Memorial Monument as to why Shane’s statue stands 11 feet tall.

Disaster in China affects Damboree fireworks show

As the city prepares for Damboree, one of our biggest celebrations of the year, a tragedy in China is having an impact on the annual fireworks show.

City Celebrates First Responders

Photos courtesy City of Boulder City

Toll Brothers gets split decision

The development of the area near Boulder Creek Golf Course known as Tract 350 (the sale of which is slated to pay for the majority of the planned replacement for the aging municipal pool) may have hit a snag last week as the planning commission voted 5-1 to deny the developers’ request to build houses closer to the street than is allowed under current law.