Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority Discusses Potential Mansfield Airport Closure

Oct. 27—WENATCHEE — The Mansfield Airport could close due to disrepair and funding questions, but its owner, Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority, wants to speak with Mansfield officials first.

Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority commissioners and staff discussed the airstrip Tuesday when rate increases were up for a vote. No decisions on closure were made.

"We're counting next to no aircraft, very, very few," said Jim Kuntz, port CEO, of the airplane counter installed at the daytime-use airport.

The CEO said, "If it's that important to them then they need to get the checkbook out and help us make payment. And at some point in time, the cracks are so wide out there that we'll probably need to just shut it down for safety purposes."

The single-runway airport sits on 23.21 acres owned by the port, according to the Douglas County Assessor's Office. The port took ownership of the port in 1995, Kuntz said. The asphalt runway is 2,575 feet long and 46 feet wide, according to AirNav.com, which also lists it "in poor condition." AirNav is a website with aeronautical and fixed-base operator services information.

Annual upkeep costs the airport $32,650, Kuntz said. The port's annual budget is probably around $42 million, he added.

"Where we cross the line, in my view, is when we have to start making capital allocations out of our budget to maintain it," he said.

Commissioners would decide whether to close the airport, Kuntz said. If it was to close, the port would notify the state Department of Transportation, and would paint two large X's at the end of the runway to declare it closed, he said.

The port would then need to determine what it should do with the property, he added.

Commissioner JC Baldwin said the port could turn the land into an economic development opportunity.

"Sometimes you can make lemonade out of lemons, right?" she said.

___

Visit The Wenatchee World (Wenatchee, Wash.) at www.wenatcheeworld.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.