Airport’s taxilanes complete

After months of anticipation, new taxilanes at the Weiser Municipal Airport have finally been completed, allowing for approximately 12 new sites where hangars will be built in the future.
 The project, which began about six weeks ago, wrapped up on Tuesday, Sept. 13.
 “They were done with the asphalt work about five or six days ago, but they had to let it set for a few days so it could cool before they put the stripe on,” said Weiser Airport Manager Jim Metzger last week. “But it’s done now, and they did a beautiful job. They finished a little ahead of schedule and just about right on budget.”
 Engineering for the new taxilanes was completed by J-U-B Engineers, with Idaho Materials and Construction handling build out. Metzger said the project came in at about $325,000. City Clerk, David Tate, said that closeout of the project is still in progress, but anticipates the cost to be around $321,000, the bulk of which comes from a Federal Aviation Administration grant.
 The grant was made available under the $2.2 million CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act passed by the Trump administration in 2020.
 The Act includes $10 billion in funds awarded as economic relief to eligible U.S. airports. 
 The package originally funded 100 percent of eligible projects, but that percentage was ultimately terminated. The Act, however, continues to fund approximately 90 percent of eligible projects, with a matching percentage from cities and states.
 The City of Weiser allocated five percent of the cost to build the airport’s taxilanes, with another five percent coming from the State of Idaho, according to Tate.
 It was previously reported that the hangar sites made available by the new taxilanes were already leased, but that information was incorrect. All hangar sites are currently available for lease.
 “These are built-out-ready sites now,” Metzger said. “They are smoothed out and ready to go. We are set up for 50x40 hangars. Everyone has their own idea of the perfect size hangar, so we don’t know for sure, but we think we have room for about 10 to 12 hangars. It all depends on the size.”
 There is still room for more hangar sites in the future, according to Metzger who said the taxilanes could potentially be extended again, further east, if needed. Hangars can be built inside the new loop, as well as outside the loop on the north and south ends.
 “They will build on the inside of this loop, but they aren’t going to build on the outside to the east because they (the taxilanes) may be extended in the future if these all sell out eventually,” he said. “We own all of this ground, 178 acres here (to the east), so we own all this ground clear to the fence. We can just keep building hangars out.”
 Metzger said the sites are leased for .10 cents per square foot, per year.
 Local crop duster Jim Bain is currently building a new hangar at the south end of the airport. It is the last of the original available sites. Bain previously ran his operation out of the Ontario Municipal Airport but has been working out of Weiser for the last few years.
 “He’s been working out of here … [on] what we call ‘through the fence,’” Metzger said. “He just paid a flat fee each year to use the runway and airport facility, but not to camp here.”
 Metzger said part of the reason he has moved his operation to Weiser is the fact that he lives just down the road from the airport.

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Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
 

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