Last week the Crookston Airport Commission was informed the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wanted turf runway 6/24 at the airport decommissioned to continue qualifying for federal funding (here). The Commission met Thursday to decide how to move forward with planning as only items included in the master plan are eligible for funding. Other items either are the sole responsibility of the City of Crookston or would require the city to incur the cost of amending the master plan.
The commission voted to decommission the runway and add a runway 4/22, which would run southwest to northeast, to the master plan. The new runway won’t immediately be built, and Commissioner Rob Tollefson said he only saw the runway being built if the remaining turf runway (17/35), which runs north to south, would be paved.
Commission Chair Fred Parnow said the new plan doesn’t have the Runway Visibility Zone obstructions that 6/24 did. “The new plan we have doesn’t interfere with any of the existing structures, trees, or buildings on the property,” said Parnow. “It’s a great plan. Now we have clarity on what the picture would look like going forward. This construction isn’t going to happen in 2021, so when FAA looks at these priorities, which include additional hangars, it will be in the plan. It won’t be a surprise say 8-12 years down the road when the City of Crookston wants these priorities acted on.”
The current land would allow a runway laid out on that path to reach 2,850. For use by the University of North Dakota Aviation program, the runway length would need to increase to 3,000 feet. Short Elliot Hendrickson (SEH), the engineering firm completing the master plan, will look at what extra property and zoning would be necessary to extend the runway.
The Commission also set its priorities for the 20-year Capital Improvement Plan explained Parnow. “The immediate need probably would be hangars, another hangar spot,” said Parnow. “Then, there is some additional paving that needs to be done. That’s where safety concerns come into place. The fueling area is a very narrow space where planes come in close proximity to each other. Unless you go out there and see what that is, you probably wouldn’t realize that that is a concern. But there is certainly safety concern there for that traffic around the fueling station and the tiedown areas.”
Finally, Parnow says the Commission set the date and time for its open house to get public feedback on the master plan process. “The open house, we set that for February 4,” said Parnow. “The arrival time is 4:44 p.m., the meeting will start. The departure time is 5:44 p.m. It will be one hour – 4:44 p.m. arrival, 5:44 departure – on February 4 at City Hall.”
