Officials chart airport vision

SANDPOINT — After a rough patch in the 2000s, aviation authorities are gunning to make the airport a centerpiece of commerce in the coming years.

Sandpoint Airport is locked in a complicated situation, which makes management relatively difficult, airport manager Dave Schuck said at a joint meeting between the Sandpoint City Council, the Bonner County Commission and the Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency Wednesday night. It is owned by the county but rests within Sandpoint city limits, which makes it subject to the town’s zoning restrictions.

Furthermore, the airport maintains a close relationship with federal agencies.

Those conflicting expectations between governmental bodies ran the airport into trouble in 2008 when the Federal Aviation Administration put it on a non-compliance list over conflicts regarding  perpetual through-the-fence easement access granted by the county to aviation business SilverWing without federal approval. However, airport officials managed to restore their relationship with the FAA three years later. Agency officials were impressed enough to retroactively grant the funding lost over the noncompliance years, which amount to $450,000.

With the partnership with the FAA on firmer ground, Schuck hopes that the county and city will also work together to support the airport. The airport’s administrators have compiled a list of recommended improvements, with the top priority being about $250,000 worth of perimeter fencing. According to Schuck, the airport has a serious problem with deer crossing the runway. Such an incident nearly spelled disaster during the takeoff of a historic aircraft valued at $3 million. Another encounter with the local wildlife didn’t end as fortunately — the pilot’s airplane was destroyed and he was lucky to escape with his life.

“The condition of the pavement won’t kill anybody,” Schuck said, explaining the prioritizing of the improvements. “The lack of perimeter fencing could.”

However, pavement improvements do rank second on the list. If the Sandpoint Airport is to service larger aircraft, it’s important that no crumbling pavement exists, as the jet engines could suck in loose material and require hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs. Depending on the extent of the repairs, they could total between $668,339 and $7,643,500.

In addition, airport administrators place navigational aids for airplanes costing $500,000 as a third priority and snow removal equipment valued between $50,000 and $100,000 as a fourth.

According to Bonner County Economic Development Corporation director Karl Dye, airport support could be seen as a investment into the economy. According to his data, people arriving at the airport typically spend $1 million per year on food, goods and services in town. Through industries like Quest and SilverWing, the airport either directly or indirectly impacts the salaries for 273 regional employees. Altogether, Dye valued the total economic impact at $32 million.

Dye and airport officials hope to increase that impact even more by expanding services and attracting new aviation-related companies into the area. Due to a projected high demand for pilots and technical workers, a flight training center and aviation engineering school could be valuable assets. An airport restaurant would also be a great addition for visitors and community members.

Perhaps most exciting to Dye is an upcoming partnership between North Idaho College, the Forrest Bird Charter School and Tamarack Aerospace to initiate a professional technical high school program. A system of education mentioned by President Barack Obama in his State of the Union address, technical high school programs are a great way to get young people trained and ready for the workforce quickly and effectively, Dye said.