Burley Ballparks a Minimum $2M for New GA Airport

Dec. 08--BURLEY --Burley's costs for a new general-aviation airport could be $2 million given the right site, optimal federal funding and land purchased economically.

That's the figure City Administrator Mark Mitton called a "hard dollar estimate"Tuesday evening at a meeting of the Burley City Council.

The city has spent about $40,000 in federal funds so far on the site selection process for its third attempt at replacing J.R. "Jack" Simplot Airport. Residents would shoulder any city portion of the eventual construction costs.

The city airport advisory committee agreed last week to re-evaluate what it looks for in an airport site and expand the radius of potential sites to 15 miles outside the city, perhaps in less populated areas or on public land. That shift requires approval by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Even if the city finds a parcel of public land, Mitton said, some people will still oppose it, as they did four previously considered sites.

City officials unsuccessfully pursued other replacement efforts in 1997 and 2008.

This time around, Cassia County has questioned the city's motivation for a new airport. The city was also criticized for not providing cost estimates on the project or explaining how the project would be paid for.

Mitton attempted to remedy some of that criticism. He said an example of a similar infrastructure project is the city's new $24 million wastewater plant. During the beginning phases of the project, he said, city officials didn't know where the money would come from. In the end, the deal was put together through a variety of loans and funds.

"I think we're in the same boat with the airport," Mitton said.

The percentage of the project the FAA will pay for depends on the site selected.

For instance, Mitton said, if the site is near a paved road in the county, it will reduce the overall cost for the city.

Certain onsite improvements will be covered, like excavation, engineering and property acquisition. The city would have to cover anything deemed "extra" and any infrastructure located offsite.

If the city can choose a site and get it to the environmental review stage, officials can then work on the finances, Mitton said.

If the project is estimated at $15 million, which was the estimate in 2008, and the city lobbies Congress for a parcel of public land, the cost could conceivably drop one-third to $10 million -- and Burley's portion could drop to $2 million.

City Councilman Vaughn Egan suggested the city look at expanding its current airport site, but Mitton said there will always be safety issues there.

"That site will never be safe. You can't create clear space where there isn't any," Mitton said.

Mitton used the example of the family killed in an Aug. 14 plane crash just south of the airport's north-south runway. He said they died because the plane hit railroad tracks in what should have been a safety zone and burst into flames.

Autopsy results showed that all members of the family were alive and breathing shortly after the crash because they had smoke in their lungs from the fires, he said.

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