By Michael Howell
The Stevensville Town Council, at its February 23 meeting, heard a presentation by Shawn Shea, of Morrison Maierle, Inc., laying out the five-year plan for capital improvements at the Stevensville Airport. The council also got a run down on the first project in the five-year plan, the extension of the taxi-lane in 2012.
Over the next five years, from 2012 through 2016, the plan calls for sinking a total of about $3.45 million into capital improvements at the airport. Of that, about $3.28 million would come from federal funds, the remaining $172,397 would be local funding. The plan involves the extension of the existing taxi-lane in 2012, runway construction design in 2013-14, earthworks construction for preparation of runway reconstruction in 2015 and runway reconstruction in 2016.
The current project for 2012 involves extension of the taxi-lane to allow the airport to expand its existing hangar developments on the airfield, more specifically for B-II category aircraft and commercial hangars. This project is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year and the total cost is estimated at $55,000.
The reconstruction of Runway 12-30 could begin in 2013 and be phased in over three years. It involves widening of the runway from 60 to 75 feet and extending it approximately 1,000 feet and includes reconstruction of the entire paved section of the runway. The lighting system will also be replaced.
The Town Council unanimously adopted the five-year capital improvement plan and approved the task order for the taxi-lane extension project.
In other business at the February 23 meeting, the Town Council appointed Paul Ludington to the Airport Advisory Board with the length of term to be decided at a later date. A job description for the Town Clerk/Police Clerk/Court Clerk was also adopted and a resolution approving the Town’s participation in the State of Montana’s Surplus Property Program was adopted.