Mountain View County council has approved a prioritization list for projects at the Sundre Airport, which is owned by the county.
The move came during the recent regularly scheduled council meeting.
Under the direction of the county, Explorer Solutions and Tetra Tech undertook a development plan for the airport. The intention of the report was to identify areas for potential future growth and to identify areas where improvements were needed.
Initially 12 recommendations were made, with additional recommendations added on the request of council following a June 26 presentation.
The additional recommendations related to internal county items related to the airport and economic development.
The updated list of recommendations was presented to council at the recent council meeting, with councillors voting to approve a priority list of the suggested tasks/actions.
The list approved includes two items that are already completed, including posting signs on Rge. Rd. 55 in both directions to warn of low flying aircraft and to indicate that there is to be no vehicle stopping along the road near the end of the runway.
Other recommendations on the list include the following:
• Review and upgrade marking cones informing pilots of the runway threshold and side limits.
• Review the existing Sundre airport management contract prior to expiry on Dec. 31, 2019.
• Establish an official training program and associated budget for all volunteers and staff to receive the same required information to ensure the safety of operations. Areas where training is required include obstacle limitation, fuel management, winter operations, radio communication, reporting of training and runway markings.
• Place a note in the Canadian Flight Supplement describing the road (Rge. Rd. 55), potential vehicle traffic and its proximity to the end of the runway.
• Review the fuel tank contaminant checking procedure to determine the regularity that they are dipped and adequacy of current practices.
• Review and approval of proposed best land use to support future development of the airport.
• Review opportunities to have a booth at airport trade shows and advertise in publications to market the airport and available lots.
• Prepare a standard operating procedure to assist staff and volunteers with understanding the details of the inspection schedule and become familiarized with pump operations.
• Review the practice of selling versus leasing lots to determine appropriate move forward strategy that aligns with the county’s long-term strategic goals.
• Review economies of scale that could be achieved by combining purchasing for the Sundre and Olds-Didsbury (also county owned) airports for items such as fuel, equipment and services such as approach maintenance, engineering and planning.
• Create a presence with the local aviation industry to showcase Mountain View County airports to Springbank and Red Deer airports.
• Review whether current fuel systems operation process is adequate or if there would be benefit to the county operating the system.
• Review the current procedure for new development going into an airport lot to determine if efficiencies could be found.
• Identify and prioritize future capital projects relative to the achievement of best land use identified in the Sundre airport development plan.
“It is a plan that is achievable,” said Reeve Bruce Beattie.
The complete prioritized list is available on the county’s website.
The Sundre Airport is located west of Sundre and south of Highway 584. It is owned by the county and managed by the Sundre Flying Club.
