Airport authority seeks help with matching funds for taxiway project

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The chairman of the North Cedar Airport Authority continued his push for matching funds for a $3.1 million taxiway project at the Northeast Iowa Regional Airport, at the Floyd County Board of Supervisors meeting Monday morning.

Jeff Sisson, who has been chairman of the airport authority since it was formed in 2006, said the current taxiway is the the most serious deficiency and the No. 1 concern at the airport located east of Charles City.

He made many of the same points to the supervisors that he made before the Charles City Council at that group’s workshop meeting last week.

And just as at the council meeting, no decision was made by the supervisors on the project, as both the city and the county are beginning their budgeting process for the next fiscal year.

Sisson said the airport is using an old runway that was built in the 1960s as a taxiway for the main 4,000-foot concrete runway.

As a taxiway it’s too close to the main runway, and the condition of the asphalt surface is a concern, he said.

“It’s deteriorated to a point now where we’re very concerned about safety with asphalt getting ingested into turbine engines. When a jet taxis out for departure if it uses the taxiway it can blow up pieces off the asphalt,” Sisson said.

“I invite anyone to go out,” he added. “It’s serious.”

He said the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved a $3.1 million taxiway replacement project, and the Airport Authority has already paid for about $100,000 in engineering for the project.

Of the $3 million left, the FAA will pay for 90%, or $2.7 million, and the Airport Authority must come up with a 10% match, or $300,000.

Sisson proposed splitting the $300,000 three ways, among the Airport Authority, Floyd County and Charles City, or $100,000 each.

He said at least in the case of the Airport Authority, it would have to borrow funds to cover its share of the match, as it has in the past for other projects at the airport.

Sisson said they are looking at potential funding sources, but one option is to borrow the money from Heartland Power Co-op, which the Airport Authority has worked with in the past, such as on loaning money for hangar projects.

Sisson said he has approached Heartland Power about a loan for the local match, and the project could be eligible for up to $250,000.

(It was erroneously reported by the Press last week that a $250,000 loan from Heartland had been approved. That is not correct, Sissen said.)

“The feedback that I’ve been getting is very positive, and they’ve seen that the investments we’ve made at the airport with their help have really made a difference out there for us, so they are interested in visiting with us,” Sissen said.

If a $250,000 loan is approved by Heartland Power, Sisson proposed the airport, the county and the city divide the remaining $50,000 three ways and each pay $16,666 up front, then divide the $250,000 three ways and pay that loan off over whatever terms are reached, possibly over 10 years as done on previous projects.

Other funding sources are also being investigated, he said

Sisson said the project would likely begin about mid-summer, and needs to be substantially underway by the end of the federal fiscal year, Sept. 30, to qualify for the FAA funds.

Supervisor Linda Tjaden, who is the supervisors’ liaison with the Airport Authority, agreed the taxiway is in bad shape.

“The worst thing we want is an airplane taxiing out there and having some of that rock or pavement go up into the plane,” she said.

Supervisor Roy Schwickerath agreed the project is a great way to leverage federal money.

“I’m just trying to figure out how it’s gonna get paid, is all,” he said, referring to the local match.

Supervisor Doug Kamm, who has a private pilot license, said he agrees with the manager of the airport, Bill Kyle, that the airport is the front door to the community.