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Home My WebLink About05-15-1991.Snags Delay Projects at AirportSnaggy delay projects at Cape T-iunicipal airport Steel beams for T -hangar Workers Tuesday unload steel beams that airport Improvements, the Federal Aviation Ad - will be used In a new T"hangar building at the ministration will fund only 35 percent of the $1 Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport. With other million project, less than officials expected. Fingers pointed at bureaucracy and capricious weather By Jay Eastllck Staff Writer Bureaucratic snags and un- cooperative weather have forced delays in capital improvements projects at the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport this year. Airport Manager Mark Seesing said a terminal building renovation project. T -hangar and taxiway con- struction, and an airport signage project all have been delayed by unforeseen obstacles. Seesing said the Federal Aviation Administration has said it won't pay as much of the $1 million ter- minal building project as city offi- cials expected. The final plans for the innovation project were apgroved months ago, but since then the FAA has agreed to fund only about 35 percent of the project. "Initially we were informed that they would participate on more like 46 to 50 percent," Seesing said. "This came as a blow to the con- tract and what we were planning to do." See AIRPORT, page 4 Airport From page I Scesing said he had planned to The FAA Only will bid out the project the fust of June. "Now I have no idea what the fund Public access schedule is," he said. areas of the terminal Scesing said the city will submit amended renovation plans to the building. FAA in hopes the agency will agree to fund a greater portion of the pro- nearly complete with the exception jecl. He said much of the area of minor "touch-up" work on sane designated in the original plans for of the signs, Scesing said, He said future airline development were the 13 mandatory -instruction and deemed unnecessary by the FAA. 29 direction signs are installed and The FAA will only fund "pubfic operational. access" areas of the terminal build- But runway 2/20, recently ing. marked as part of the signage pro- Seesing said other items in the ject, must be repainted because the renovation project were excluded new paint has started to "blister," from FAA funding, including a Scesing said. ' baggage -check area; the airport Despite the unexpected snags, manager's office; two hallways; a Scesing said he hopes to finish the businessmen's public office area airport projects this year, although complete with such items as a fac- later than planned. He said he also simile machine, telephones, and has submitted preapplication docu- compuler terminals; and a confer- ments fa next year's capital im- ewe room. provement projects. Seesing said an amended floor The projects include a fire - plan eliminates the conference protection water system and m - room and the additional airline alignment of a parking lot entrance space. Only one commercial air- mad - line, Trans World Express, serves Funding for airport projects the airport, but city officials are planned for 1993 and beyond could trying to bring additional airline be jeopardized by saggmg airport service to the city. boardings. If the airport dips below "The plan we submitted was a 10,000 annual enplanements — a growth plan where we could intro- target barely reached last year — duce new airlines without extensive the city stands to lose $300,000 in renovation," Seesing said. "But we annual FAA entitlements for airport will need to submit a Floc plan of improvements. only what's needed now. The boardings this year are about "We really wanted to have what 600 less than the totrd last year by we drew out originally because May. Scesing said that if boardin s that's what we were trying m do as drop below 10,000 the city would far as airport development." lose its "primary airport" status and Seesing said he hopes to learn be considered a "commercial ar- - within a couple of weeks whether port," the FAA will agree to fund more of But he said there may be funding the project based on the amended sources other than federal entitle - floor plan. menu for the airport improvement The new T -hangar is expected to projects. A pilot state -block -grant be finished soon, but Seesing said program in Missouri provides taxiway spas that will connect the financing for some projects at com- hangar to the mnway ramp have mercial airports, Seesing said. been delayed indefinitely because "For special projects, we could of unstable soil conditions. He said wind up getting more money" than the T -hangar building arrived Tues- through the federal entitlements, he day and likely will be erected in said. "The problem is that projects less than two weeks. like the terminal building are a low "The taxiways are in a sate of priority. Things like runways are limbo right now for the T -hangars high priority. that will be built in 10 days," Sees- We could ask for a 7,000 -to- ing said. 8,00q -fon runway and get it by as - The airport manager said he's king once." he said. "I begged for waiting for an engineer's report on six months to get a terminal build - possible solutions to the wet sub- ing." grade soil conditions. He said the Seesing said that although state J wet conditions, made worse by funding is available through the relentless May rains, won't meet pilot grant program, Cape Dow - the FAA's compaction require- dean would compete for the funds ments for the taxiway spurs. with many other commercial air. Seesing said correction of the pats in the state. sub -grade problems might be ex- "Being a larger airport inside that pensive. category gives us probably a better T6 .;rSAA e, norma mm.mm ,e .. ...x.",. a...A:...."r.-" M MEMORANDUM TO: Cape Girardeau Airport Advisory Board FROM: Mark J. Seesing, Airport Managerrl(� DATE: May 16, 1991 SUBJECT: Follow Up To Newspaper Article Published May 15, 1991 As indicated in the May 15 article, the FAA has backed off on the participation level for the terminal building. When the preliminary plans were first taken to the FAA, it was shown to have a split of 45percent federal, 54 percent local share. After several more months of planning and designing, we met again with FAA on April 18. At this meeting Mr. Doug Johnson of the FAA's Airports Division informed us that upon review of the preliminary drawings the FAA has determined they will participate at only a 35 percent level. Mr. Johnson advised that several of the areas we felt were public access areas did not fall under their guidelines as public use, these areas being: 1. Airport Manager's office. 2. Conference room. 3. Office services area. 4. Baggage room. 5. Storage room. In a follow-up meeting in Kansas City on May 1, Mr. Stoverink, Mr. Leslie, Mr. Belzer and myself convinced the FAA to participate in the office services area and the storage room but could not sway them on the conference room, Manager's office or baggage room. As a result, we have gone back to the drawing board to better depict just what we need at this time and not what we would like to have for future development. This new floor plan will be developed and submitted to the FAA for their review. It is hoped they will see that the increased square footage to the lobby area will increase their obligation to 50 percent or more of the total building and concede to the original plan and funding levels. Some of the information brought out in the article was a little misleading as to what was exactly said in the interview. The FAA funding for the other projects is still at the 90/10 level. '�- This includes airfield signage, painting of runway 2/20, and the