Ignacio-area residents turned out on April 21 for an open house on plans for the Durango-La Plata County Airport expansion. About 20 people attended the meeting at Ignacio Town Hall, versus 17 at an open house the evening before in Durango.
Airport manager Kip Turner and representatives from the airport's consulting firms were there to answer questions as people looked at the display boards. There were postcards for people to submit written comments.
In spring 2015, Turner and airport planning firm Jviation presented their assessment of options to handle growing passenger load. The preferred option was to build a new terminal, parking lots, passenger jet parking area and taxiway all east of the runway, with a projected cost of $85 million. That's to addess current needs, not future growth, Turner said last week.
Turner said earlier this month that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will provide around $40 million of the $85 million. Because of that funding, the project needs an Environmental Assessment (EA). The open house covered that along with the preferred and other alternatives for terminal expansion. All the alternatives will be covered in the EA.
A timeline showed the draft EA coming out for public comment in May 2017 with a decision in late 2017 that finds significant impacts to be addressed, or no significant impacts.
The EA is looking at wetlands, archeological and cultural resources, traffic impacts, and endangered species.
Wetland concerns are between the current County Road 309A loop around the north end of the runway and Highway 172. Whether or not a new terminal is built east of the runway, plans show CR 309A being extended through this area to a new Highway 172 access across from CR 338 for better sight distance and safety.
The traffic study is scheduled for this May and June.
Endangered species field studies will be done this summer for the possible presence of the New Mexico jumping mouse and Southwest willow flycatcher, a small bird. The project area also is listed as being in a bald eagle conservation region.
A preliminary archeological/ cultural resource assessment has identified seven potential sites. Work is being coordinated with participating Indian tribes.
Along with the preferred alterntive of a new terminal east of the runway, the airport master plan has a "no action" alternative, meaning everything stays as it is, including the Highway 172 access.
Non-preferred alternatives are to renovate and add onto the existing terminal or to build a new terminal north of the existing terminal on the west side of the runway. Their drawbacks include lack of room for further expansion to address growth. The east side plan has room for future expansion.
The open house display included three architectural design ideas for the new east side terminal.
The timeline for the new terminal lists design work in 2018-19 and construction in 2019-20. However, it is yet to be determined how the local share of the project would be paid for.
As discussed at a county commissioners "on the road" meeting in Ignacio on April 12, Turner said the state would provide around $1 million, and the airport budget could cover $4 or $5 million. The county commissioners are considering whether to ask voters to approve a sales or property tax hike for the rest of the money.
