Sep. 16--A massive fuel tank at the Portage County Airport in Shalersville, damaged during a refueling incident in May, will be replaced.
Representatives of the airport approached Portage County commissioners recently to discuss the issues with the "Jet A" fuel tank. The fuel is used in small aircraft, including the helicopters used by Metro Life Flight. Commissioners agreed to loan the airport the estimated $58,000 to replace the tank.
Homer Lucas of the airport said the 12,000 gallon tank at the airport's "fuel tank farm" was damaged on May 9, when a tanker truck from Hilltrux Tank Lines was delivering Jet A fuel. During the fueling process, Lucas said, the driver ignored three warnings to avoid damaging the tank.
He said the driver didn't reference a fuel level gauge, which indicates how much fuel can be added to the tank. He also ignored a pressure differential gauge, which read abnormally high, even though an employee pointed that out to a driver.
"He continued, and said he knew what he was doing," he said.
As the tank reached 90 percent full, a loud audible alarm sounded, but the driver didn't know what it meant and continued to fill the tank, Lucas said. He only stopped when fuel sprayed from the top of the tank. About 25 gallons spilled out of the tank, killing grass next to the tank and causing the area to smell of the fuel for days.
To prevent further damage, Dick Bonner, the airport's fixed base operator, decided to transfer most of the fuel in the tank to a truck, which has been supplying fuel to the helicopters since. But Bonner said that was meant to be a temporary solution, and has already been in place longer than the three months it was originally to be used.
Lucas estimated the replacement cost of the tank at $57,562.12. That includes the cost of a 12,000 gallon metal tank which costs $34,566. It also would cost $22,966.12 to remove and demolish the old tank and install the new tank. The original tank weighs 100,000 pounds, and most of that is the weight of the concrete that covers the tank. A large crane will be needed to move the old tank out of the fuel tank farm to demolish it in a safe location, and it will be needed to move the new tank into place. Although a smaller crane could be used to set the new tank into place, it would increase costs because it would have to be rented twice.
Bonner and Melvin Steedly, an airport board member and a former Metro Life Flight pilot, warned commissioners that the airport could lose Life Flight if the tank is not replaced.
"If they can't reload here, that takes them out of service longer," Steedly said. Bonner added that every time the helicopter shuts down and restarts, that increases maintenance costs for the craft.
Commissioners said they would prefer to loan the funding to the airport instead of a grant. Todd Bragg, director of budget and financial management, said that even if commissioners forgive the payments, the funding could be used to leverage funding from the FAA in the future.
Commissioner Kathleen Clyde said access to Life Flight made the case "very compelling."
"It's an important service to our community," she said.
Lucas pledged to use any proceeds from Hilltrux to offset the cost of the tank replacement, but he warned that could take a year or more. Hilltrux and AvFuel, which supplied the fuel, have not admitted any responsibility for the damage.
"I just talked to them," Lucas said. "They blame it on the rusty vent. But if it wasn't rusty, it could have been a lot worse."
Assistant Prosecutor Chris Meduri is working with the airport to pursue a claim against Hilltrux.
Bonner said he hoped going forward with the tank replacement will put pressure on Hilltrux.
"They need to be pressured," he said.
Reporter Diane Smith can be reached at 330-298-1139 or [email protected].
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