A decision by the Federal Aviation Administration last week has removed an important roadblock in the long-awaited runway extension at Pulliam Airport.
Ben Fisk, Flagstaff's public works director, told the City Council during Monday's study session the FAA had found no significant environmental impacts to the proposed construction.
The environmental assessment, which was signed off last Friday by the FAA regional administrator, allows the city to seek millions of dollars in federal grants for the project. It also will allow the city to begin design and construction of the project.
The project was delayed after the Pine Canyon golf resort opposed the extension because of noise from jets, prompting extensions to the FAA's environmental assessment comment period.
Their objections ultimately pushed the project several months behind schedule.
The city council was set to approve on Tuesday evening a pair of grant applications, totaling more than $15 million, to pay for 95 percent of the design and construction of the extension. The remaining 5 percent would be split between city and state coffers.
The city is applying for a $14 million grant from the FAA, which would pay to extend the runway beyond its current length of 6,999 feet. A decision from the FAA on the grant application is expected in September.
City officials won't have to wait as long for the $1.3 application to the Arizona Department of Transportation, which would pay for a portion of the costs incurred during the design phase.
A decision from ADOT is expected on Friday.
The completion of the runway extension will greatly increase the utility of the Airport, allowing larger regional commercial jets and private corporate jets to land in Flagstaff.
City officials are concerned the only carrier to the airport, America West Express, has been phasing out its fleet of turboprop aircraft, which current serve the city's airport with regional 50-70 seat jets.
Currently, the airport's runway is too short to handle larger jets.
City officials hope the extension will also open new commercial routes, adding new destination airports other than just Sky Harbor in Phoenix.
City officials are also considering asking the city council in the coming weeks to approve a contract with Bill Menard, the recently retired public works director for the city.
The contract would hire Menard as a consultant on the project. He had been working on the runway extension project for 10 years as a city employee.
Copyright: The Arizona Daily Sun -- 7/21/06
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