Apr. 17—EAST WENATCHEE — A $4.1 million Pangborn Memorial Airport hangar site development and taxiway extension project could go out for a construction bid by the end of April.
Chelan Douglas Regional Port Authority commissioners discussed the project and potential funding at the April 11 meeting. The design for the project, done through a $242,000 contract with T-O Engineers, was under review by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The project includes an 800-by-50-foot extension of Taxiway B, nine development-ready sites for future hangars and 2,000 feet of new access roadway, as previously reported by The Wenatchee World (wenatcheeworld.com). The project will create the hangar sites to house about eight private aircraft — whose owners are leasing space in the Executive Flight Building.
The port plans to bat the project out to bidders by April 25, pending commissioners approval, and award a contract by May 23.
"The idea is to have a path ready for hangar space in anticipation of the (Washington) Army National Guard taking over the Executive Flight (Building) and having some tenants that will be displaced," said Jim Kuntz, port CEO. "In addition to attracting just additional aircraft to Pangborn Airport... (It will) provide new income for us."
The Washington Army National Guard is slated to move into the Executive Flight Building by early 2024. According to port documents, construction is set to start in June with "substantial completion" of construction projected to be mid-September.
The estimated $4.1 million project would include potentially $1.3 million contributed from the port's capital budget. The port is also projected to receive a little more than $2 million through the FAA grant to back the project, according to port documents. Roughly $3.2 million of the project is likely FAA Airport Improvement Project grant funding eligible, however the port is currently unable to tap into the funds.
"The problem is the different pots of funds that we have, we've already obligated. Unfortunately, all of our pots of funds have been pre-allocated," Kuntz said. "It's not that it's not eligible, it's that we're using all the money for other projects, which is good in a sense, because we're so active."
According to Kuntz, the port will also apply for a grant of roughly $115,000 through the Washington State Department of Transportation.
"They've (WSDOT) always been very good to us. They are funding basically Waterville (Airport improvements). They also funded... our cost share for the Taxiway A phase one project. They usually work pretty kindly."
An unnamed private company is slated to pay almost $300,000 for the capital facilities charge of Pad B, a hangar site, according to port documents. The unidentified company "seems to be all in," Kuntz said.
Airlift Northwest, an air ambulance program through Harborview Medical Center and the University of Washington School of Medicine, has expressed interest in constructing a hangar site, Kuntz said, and that's (Pad A) earmarked for a capital facilities charge of roughly $316,000.
"Pad A, we still don't know where we're at with Airlift Northwest. So even if Pad A doesn't happen immediately, I think we're okay with that. Once we actually open up bids... and they come in in ranges. Then I do think we need to sit down and recalculate the capital facilities charge," Kuntz said. "We're not here to make money on this project, we're here to break even with the hope that the taxpayers of Chelan and Douglas counties do not have to subsidize the hangar site project."
A complete project budget with FAA concurrence on grant eligibility will be provided to commissioners prior to the bid process, according to port documents.
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