Senator Mark Udall reviews documents with Fremont County Airport Manager Richard Baker and the Board of Commissioners Wednesday afternoon at the airport
(The following article was published in the January 5th edition of the Pueblo Chieftain)
After struggling for years to push forward with a runway expansion, Fremont County found a sympathetic ear Wednesday from U.S. Senator Mark Udall, who pledged to ‘exhaust every opportunity’ to make the expansion happen.
The airport runway, currently 5,900 feet, has been on the Federal Aviation Administration's funding list for expansion since the 2009 fiscal year and officials are told it likely won't happen until 2020, said Ed Norden, Fremont County Commission chairman.
Runway expansion to 7,000 or even 7,500 feet would force the county to address filling a giant arroyo and a total bill of $23 million to $33 million but in looking at another alternative during the master planning process, consultants have tapped into a cheaper idea.
"It would cost $9 million to $11 million to build another runway along the mesa and a parallel taxiway — so half the cost," said Ryan Pritchett of Armstrong Consultants Inc., a business hired to help Fremont County. "The less expensive option would allow us to attract and handle 95 percent of the traffic, including business jets. The landowners appear to be willing to come to the table to talk about acquisition," Pritchett said. Pritchett said the FAA would have to approve the master plan with the new layout before it is eligible for funding. He said he believes that process could take one to two years.
Udall was briefed on the airport's importance for aircraft assigned to fighting wildland fires in the region by U.S. Bureau of Land Management fire officer Ed Skerjanec. "It has proved to be very useful and a very viable location for our needs," Skerjanec said. "A longer air strip could definitely attract moreof the bigger aircraft for fighting this close to the wildland fires."
Udall also was briefed on U.S. Army use at the airport which the FAA does not "count" when considering user numbers, Airport Manager Dick Baker said. "We've been designated on a route for high altitude training for the new helicopter battalion at Fort Carson," Baker explained, which will further increase military use.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons also could make more efficient use of the expanded runway for transport of inmates to and from the four-prison federal complex at Florence. Norden said the BOP would benefit from a public safety standpoint but its authorities will not weigh in on the subject.
Udall suggested trying to find some dollars in other budgets such as the military and BLM budgets. "I am just trying to think out of the box a little bit. Let's work together on this — let's exhaust every opportunity," Udall said. "If we can start by getting an FAA (funding) bill through, I'd love to work with you.