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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us January 19, 2005 Ashland airport modernizing By Jennifer Squires Ashland Daily Tidings Thanks to an almost-$800,000 Federal Aviation Administration grant, the Ashland Municipal Airport will have repaved runways and a new lighting system before the end of the spring. Resurfacing of the runway at the Ashland airport is part of an $800,000 FAA-financed improvement project. Orville Hector | Ashland Daily Tidings The improvements to the runways, taxiways and lights follow the completion of 14 new T-Hangers by Adroit Construction and significant work to the airport master plan, which should be finalized this year. "We try to get a major improvement about every four years," said Jim Olson, City of Ashland project manager in charge of developments at the airport. "Each year we get an entitlement allotment of $150,000 for minor improvements." In 2004, the funds were used to apply a slurry seal to pavement at the airport, which prolongs the life of the surface. "Pavement work is mandatory," Olson said. "If you don't maintain the pavement, you lose it." The current improvements to the runways and taxiways involve an extensive rebuild and overlays of the airport asphalt aprons. The lighting changes will upgrade a system that hasn't seen much work since it was installed in the early 1970s. "They've reached the end of their lifespan," Olson said. "The equipment out there is outdated and no longer FAA-approved." The new lights will be medium-density, a step up from the low-density lights that will be brighter and more secure. Because the Ashland airport is a visual airport, the lights serve as the only approach tools for incoming aircraft. The majority of the funding comes from the FAA, with about $25,000 allocated through the state aid to municipalities. "Because we're a small, municipal airport, we're funded in part by the state and in part by the federal governments," City of Ashland Public Works Director Paula Brown said. "We're fortunate to be able to get the federal grants to keep the airport going." The new T-Hangers, which were completed in the fall of 2004, were funded through a conventional loan that will be paid back by rental fees collected from the personal aircraft housed at the airport. Aside from the grant and loan money, the airport has reached a point of self-sufficiency, according to Brown. "We're breaking even," Brown said, explaining small business and recreational use funds day-to-day operations. "We also have about 80 aircraft actually based at the airport." All of the improvements should be wrapped up before the beginning of summer, the peak season for the airport. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Generic Viagra Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Absinthe Supply Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Hammocks Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino King of Spirits ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams