After grounding plans for airport, commission reconsiders

The New Rockford City Commission has agreed to engage Interstate Engineering for the purpose of building a new airport hangar and repairing the taxiway and runway at Tomlinson Field. The move came at a special meeting Wednesday, Feb. 17, after a brief but intense discussion among commissioners as they reconsidered a proposal that was rejected at their Feb. 1 assembly.

President Stu Richter opened by reminding the commission that they had already approved the construction of a new hangar on Aug. 3, 2020. However, the engineering proposal was added after the fact, due to requirements of the grant for which they intend to apply.

“If we don’t engineer it, the (state) Aeronautics Commission won’t fund this,” Richter noted. The revised proposal involves reducing the building to a 4-plane hangar at an estimated cost of $200,000 in order to absorb the $30,000 in local airport funds required for the engineering work. The city will not need to levy any additional taxes for the project, as the airport fund currently has a $338,077 balance. Most of that money, $285,500 to be exact, came from the insurance settlement the city received when the hangar was destroyed in the 2018 wind storm.

The city can apply for additional funds through the Aeronautics Commission’s 2021 grant round, Richter added, and applications are due in April. Richter proposed applying for funds to rebuild the lounge, which had been renovated and updated just months before the storm. The city had received $21,000 from the program in 2017 for the lounge remodel.

“We have a lot of money invested in it already. We are trying to move forward, not backwards,” Richter said.

Commissioner Jim Belquist commented that the Feb. 1 proposal was presented as if the city would need to spend additional money out of its general fund to pay for the engineering. Rather, the proposal is not to exceed the funds currently set aside for the project.

“We’ve kept the total amount the same, we’ve just reallocated the funds,” he clarified.

Commissioner Kelly McKnight said that residents had come to her after the Feb. 1 meeting and affirmed that the city didn’t need an airport. The residents said that they didn’t know of anyone who would actually use it, should the city rebuild the hangar.

“Don’t we want to be a progressive community?” Richter fired back.

“I’m not totally against it,” McKnight replied. She noted that commissioners hadn’t been presented with any information about how many people used the airport before the storm and therefore had no answers for community members who asked why it was necessary to rebuild.

Commissioner Justin Ystaas, who also had turned down the proposal on Feb. 1, said he changed his position after conducting some research on the economic impact of rural airports and reviewing documents compiled by Interstate Engineering and the New Rockford Area Betterment Corporation. A financial summary prepared by Auditor George Ritzke showed that the airport received $31,871 in 2020, which includes tax revenue levied specifically for the airport, lease of land surrounding the facility, and grants from the aeronautics commission. In turn, expenses totaled just under $14,000, for a net gain of $18,000. This does not include any revenue from hangar rental, which could total $6,000 per year once the new hangar is built. Ystaas also noted other potential revenue sources for the airport, including sale of aircraft fuel, community outreach, flight training and others.

“This is a good business decision for our city,” Ystaas concluded. “Now that I look at the numbers, it is making money.” He added that having the right people in control of operations will also make a difference, as it will allow opportunity to seek out additional revenue sources to make the facility self-sustaining.

McKnight asked that they look further ahead, as the runway will need restoration in 2-5 years. The last time the city undertook such a project was in 2005, and they received a $176,800 grant from the aeronautics commission to help cover the cost. She surmised that quite possibly the city would need to levy new taxes to pay for it this time around.

Ystaas noted that the city could consider financing the runway project and make annual payments using the available surplus funds, similar to what they did with the pool. At $18,000 per year, they could pay for the project well within the 20-year expected lifespan. The county commission could also be approached regarding cost-sharing, once the necessary infrastructure is in place, and the question of whether or not to levy taxes to fund the airport’s continued operations and maintenance could be put before voters in the 2022 election, Richter added.

“We are doing what we can today, and we’ll fight tomorrow’s battles tomorrow,” Richter said.

Hager moved, seconded by Ystaas, to approve the agreement with Interstate Engineering. The motion carried unanimously. Interstate Engineering will manage the hangar project from concept to construction, at a total cost of $80,000, as reported last meeting.

Residents should know that the airport is a public facility and can be used by the general public. “It’s absolutely for everyone,” Richter concluded. He noted how an area pilot had been conducting flying lessons there before the storm.

Richter reported that Ystaas will take over the airport portfolio assignment moving forward. McKnight requested that the Airport Authority deliver an annual report in the future.

The Brown Memorial was also discussed. Public works staff will begin completing the maintenance duties at the downtown facility in March, and Public Works Superintendent Bruce Hirchert was asked to keep track of the hours spent this year. The commission will reassess the arrangement once they have a better understanding of the time commitment.

Discussion was held regarding interior improvements. McKnight offered that more residents might use the Brown Memorial for events and meetings if the facility were upgraded. Hirchert was asked to come to the March 1 meeting with a list of potential improvements for the commission to consider.

“If we make it more user friendly, it might make money,” McKnight noted, alluding to the fact that operating the Brown Memorial cost the city $26,000 in 2020, and only brought $1,400 in revenue.