Nov. 8--The city of Marina has a new wish list for its airport.
The revision of the five-year airport capital improvement program -- a project list designed to meet requirements for securing grant money from the Federal Aviation Administration -- goes beyond a routine annual update.
"It's quite a bit of updating and a new look at it," said City Manager Anthony Altfeld of the airport project list that was adopted by the City Council on Tuesday.
The former Army airport, which the city received for public use in 1995, is a central part of a larger vision Marina is putting together for its underdeveloped airport land.
A consultant is working on ways to foster aviation industrial park, a dog-training center and other uses envisioned for 300 acres of city land surrounding the airport. Another city committee is working on an aviation master plan for the airport, Altfeld said.
The 400-acre airport is at the heart of those plans. The new improvement plan lays out several projects designed to "meet the immediate needs of the (state and federal governments) to get buildable projects on line for programmed funding," Altfeld said.
"They have a lot of funds available and are anxious to keep local airports moving forward," he said.
The plan says the proposed projects would promote growth and enhance the safety and economic viability of the single-runway airport. They include:
--Replacing the airport's electrical system. The system is "obsolete and
requires replacement as soon as possible."
--Extending and renovating the 3,843-foot runway by 1,750 feet and upgrading the runway, extending Taxiway A and resurfacing all taxiways, and adding lighting and guidance signs.
--Improving airport security with new security fencing, vehicle access gates and access controls.
--Installing new primary and secondary wind cones, runway end lights, and replacing the airport beacon.
The total estimated cost of the projects is $7.5 million. The city would spend $375,000 to match $7.1 million in FAA funding.
A new automated weather observation system is being installed and should be ready by January to provide minute-by-minute updates on airport weather conditions. The airport handles about 30,000 aircraft operations a year.
Larry Parsons can be reached at 646-4379 or [email protected]
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