Airport Master Plan Submitted To FAA
The Airport Layout Plan, or 10-year master plan, for the Warsaw Municipal Airport, has been delivered to the Federal Aviation Administration. The submission was announced Tuesday evening, Nov. 10, at the monthly Warsaw Board of Aviation Commissioners. The ALP details proposed capital projects including: relocation of power lines east of the airport, solution to CR 100E, new lighting and runway and taxi work.
According to Ken Ross, vice president of NGC Corp. aviation consulting company and engineer for the airport, the ALP was delivered to the FAA last week for review. Nick King, airport manager, explained after the meeting, this plan allows the airport to be eligible for grants from the FAA receiving 90 percent funding from the FAA, 10 percent state and 10 percent city.
King stressed the ALP does not include closing CR 100E. That decision is off the books. Solutions creating the least amount of impact, such as creating a loop around airport property or a tunnel, are being looked at. The plan also includes possibility of making taxi ways displaced thresholds adding an additional 1,200 feet to runway figures.
Regarding a 30-year project of relocating power lines east of the airport, Ross reported Rob Esquivel of the FAA airport district office project manager, visited the airport Nov. 4, along with Marcus Dial from Indiana Department of Transportation. Esquivel and Dial saw first hand the need for the line relocation. The group will look into possibility of funding to have the project completed in one year, instead of over a two-year period. Projection is the relocation will begin in 2017.
King stated the officials saw first hand the amount of traffic at the airport and the day to day use. This provided justification for the project. Ross additionally noted officials were made aware it has been at least 20 years since the airport received discretionary funds. That amount was $28,000. Prior to the visit by the two officials only a view of the airport had been seen using Google Earth.
The project is to lower six different high tension power line towers to the proper height. The power lines are in the flight path of aircraft.
Dispute With NIPSCO
A dispute with NIPSCO, over the airport being responsible for expenses when service was disrupted, has been turned over to the FAA and the city attorney. NIPSCO submitted a $10,500 bill for damages, at what King says was caused by NIPSCO.
King explained NIPSCO was installing a new radio for the FAA to allow pilots in Warsaw to contact Fort Wayne for flight clearance. The power is located in a vault on the property that has one line in and several lines out, which control all the lighting at the airport. During installation of the radio NIPSCO cut the airport lines. This left the airport without lights, monitoring capability and other necessary equipment. The problem was discovered early enough allowing Michiana Electric to be contacted and restore power to the airport with no delay or interruptions to operations.
King stated FAA engineers are involved as the project required a four-day written notice before work was done and an FAA engineer on site at the time. The FAA says no notice was given.
The outage did create an increase in the airport’s monthly NIPSCO bill as lights had to be on all the time instead of part of the time.
During other business, commission members approved the claims, including $116,727.31 for three loads of jet fuel and 100 low level fuel; and payment to NAG for 8 percent of the ALP project. The amount approved totaled $12,800 with $11,520 coming from FAA funds, and $640 each from state and local funds.
The next meeting of the commission will be 5:15 p.m. Dec. 8.