Committee considers airport future

Taylor County will need to make choices about airport operations as officials look to keep operational costs in line, while providing adequate maintenance and service to users.

The future of the airport took the major part of a county airport committee meeting held March 28. Committee members, county officials and members of the flying community came together in the maintenance hangar at the airport to consider options on staffing the airport in the future.

Earlier this year airport manager Fred Ebert retired. The county has been using part-time staff to cover airport operations until a decision is reached on how to proceed with determining if the post should be filled by a full or part-time position.

“I don’t know if we need a full time person,” said committee chairman Chuck Zenner. Airport traffic has declined in the past several years after Weather Shield eliminated its corporate jet. While the airport is used regularly by Sierra Pacific and other businesses, there are currently no jets based there.

If the county were to shut down the airport, it would have to repay the federal government for all the improvements and work done with federal funds at the airport. Regional airports such as Taylor County’s are heavily subsidized on the federal level with more than 90% of the cost of runway projects and other work being paid by federal sources.

Zenner noted that in hindsight the county probably overbuilt when the runway was expanded. However, at the time a corporate jet was based locally and there was talk of a second one being purchased. Things abruptly changed with the recession in 2008 when corporations scaled back.

Regardless of level of usage, the airport represents a multi-million dollar investment. Local pilots argued that maintaining that investment takes more than a part time job. One example given was See COMMITTEE on page 16 questioning how often the perimeter fence is being patrolled to see if there are areas that wildlife, particularly deer, are getting through. Pilot Bob Lee noted he has had deer crossing the runway while he was landing.

Scott Epping, who currently works part-time at the airport noted the airport is designed to support business and that in places like Wausau there are waiting lists for people to get hangars. He suggested being proactive in trying to get businesses to locate their planes here rather than other airports. It was noted that having someone on site to do a flight school here or the availability of having a local airplane mechanic would drive traffic to the airport.

“The county needs to decide what they want and how to promote it,” he said.

Former airport manager Fred Ebert said there was a need for a mechanic who has A& P (Airframe and Powerplant) certifications. He said he did not know what the county’s investment would be if they wanted to try and get someone here. One suggestion was to assist someone in getting an A& P mechanic business going at the airport such as helping with liability insurance and have that individual also do the airport manager functions.

Committee member Sue Swiantek said it sounds like the county needs to put together a business plan for the airport.

Human Resources director Nicole Hager said she believes there are resources they can tap into to get assistance such as through the county’s association. She also said she would look into the insurance costs for the county if they brought in an instructor or someone doing airplane mechanics.

“You have to determine what the business model is,” said finance director Larry Brandl.

One of the challenges is that airports, much like highways are expensive and require maintenance, but are not profit centers, although they play an important role in the local and regional economy.

“Nobody personally would buy an airport, they aren’t money makers, but you wouldn’t buy a highway either,” Lee said.

Ultimately, the message to committee members was that the county needed to at least maintain what was there, while looking at ways to increase airport usage.

The airport makes most of its operating revenue off the sale of fuel to pilots flying in and out of the airport. There are also revenues from the rental of the land on which the private hangars are located.