Preparing for expansions

As the use of Shively Airfield continues to increase, the need for it to expand to accommodate a high number of aircraft and larger jets increases as well. At the Sept. 11 meeting of the Saratoga Airport Advisory Board, discussion about the upcoming apron expansion took center stage as Dave Shultz of Sage Civil Engineering updated the board on a pre-design conference call with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WyDOT).

“We just discussed what needs to happen when. We didn’t go into a lot of details because those will come up as we get into the design,” said Shultz.

Shultz added that Bob Maddox, fixed base operator (FBO) for the airport and owner of Saratoga Jet Center, had expressed concern about the distance between the two taxiways where the apron expansion will occur.

“There is a pretty good difference there, but when you carry that over the entire distance between the two, you’re talking about a two percent slope,” Shultz said. “Two percent, for reference, is what a typical highway crown is. The crown on the runway is a percent-and-a-half. Two percent is not steep, but through experience and talking with pilots … two percent can be tough.”

Larry DeAndrade, representing Saratoga Jet Center, informed the advisory board that a two percent slope is difficult from an operational standpoint. DeAndrade stated that when the jet center receives larger jets like a G650, which weighs approximately 54,000 pounds, the aircraft will crush the rubber chocks on a slope that is less than two percent.

Shultz added, in terms of heavier jets, that Sage Civil was looking at having an area of concrete in the expanded apron for the purpose of larger jets. Currently, the Saratoga Jet Center has to park the heavier aircraft on large metal plates to protect the asphalt.

“How many planes come in that you have to put metal down?” asked Thad York, the newest member of the advisory board.

DeAndrade informed York that the plates were only used for the heaviest of the aircraft, stating that the medium and super-medium jets didn’t require the metal.

The discussion moved from slope and heavy aircraft to the schedule for the project.

“The schedule is what we’re trying to maintain. I think it’s a reasonable schedule as far as getting things done and it was all kind of figuring out when the FAA would like to see us open bids and then working backwards from there,” said Shultz.

“When would they like to see us open bids?” asked Saratoga Town Councilmember Jon Nelson.

Shultz told the board that bids are tentatively scheduled to open in the first week of April 2020, adding that, historically, a grant would not be able to be written until May after receiving bids. Discussion between Shultz and Nelson revealed that the Town of Saratoga’s share for the project would be approximately $80,000. Nelson stated that he didn’t believe he could go to the council with a request for a budget amendment for $80,000 to the airport fund budget.

“That’s another reason why we’re setting the schedule the way it is, so none of those bills do come due until after the 1st of July,” said Shultz.

“I wouldn’t even want to see an award possible until we’re at least through our budget process because, otherwise, we’re making a commitment on behalf of what the council’s going to do for allocating funds,” said Nelson. “It’s great that the FAA is all gung-ho about it. I just think it might be a little too fast for the fiscal reality of Saratoga.”

Shultz informed the advisory board that the FAA was aware that the Town of Saratoga wouldn’t be able to allocate funds for the match until the next fiscal year, but were assuming that the town was going to find the money. He also warned that, should the Town of Saratoga not find the matching funds, there was the risk of losing the money for the project.

“I’m just talking about that being the attitude I think they would take if the whole project were to just go away. If the town were to say ‘We just can’t afford it,’ we probably wouldn’t get that money, again,” said Shultz.

“I think this is a big enough deal, though, that we can probably figure out a way to make it happen as far as a community. I think it’s a pretty big deal,” added Chairman Lance Grubb.

When Nelson asked what Grubb meant by “as a community,” the chairman stated that he would be willing to speak in front of the Board of Carbon County Commissioners to request aid in offsetting the Town of Saratoga’s budget for the project.

“I think there’s a way to attack this from more than one angle. We need the space. It’s not just Conquistadores anymore,” Grubb said.

The next meeting of Saratoga Airport Advisory Board will be at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 11 at Saratoga Town Hall.