A hotel/conference center, new industrial and commercial business and maybe a convenience store are some of the businesses that Jamestown Regional Airport Authority members would like to see locate on Jamestown Regional Airport property in the future.
Authority Chairman Jim Boyd, Mayor Katie Andersen and Steve Aldinger, an engineer with Interstate Engineering who has engineered many projects for the JRAA, met Tuesday with Kyle Wanner, director of the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission, and representatives of the Federal Aviation Administration to talk about the airport’s capital improvement plan. Boyd and Andersen also talked about improvements the authority may want included in a future capital improvement plan.
Aldinger said the construction of the new T-hangar building is on hold as the firm that will build the structure got delayed on another project.
“They will be starting work here probably in mid-October,” he said.
Schumacher Construction of Jamestown is the general contractor for the project and is currently working on constructing a taxilane that will connect the new T-hangar building to the airport’s runway system. Aldinger said by the time the T-hangar structure is up, the new taxilane and concrete apron for the building should be completed.The project is expected to be completed by Dec. 1.
Boyd said the T-hangar building will hold eight hangars, two larger hangars and six regular-size hangars.
“We already have clients ready to rent the two larger hangars,” he said.
The authority has a committee that is working on getting letters of intent signed by people interested in leasing the remaining hangars once the project is complete. Boyd said once these hangars are all leased, and the project is paid for, the authority will see if there is interest from the public in building more airplane hangars.
Aldinger updated a wetlands mitigation project that will remove a large area of wetlands on the southeast side of the airport. The project is being paid for by a $729,000 grant from the FAA, with the authority paying about $30,000 for a local match.
Aldinger said new wetlands have been created on a parcel located northeast of the airport. The wetlands are being eliminated as it attracts waterfowl and other birds, which interfere with takeoff and landings at the airport. He said work to eliminate the wetlands will start this fall and be completed next spring.
These projects are listed on the airport’s current capital improvement plan. Other projects on the plan include improvements to crosswinds runway and replacing the west taxilane.
Andersen said the airport is poised to offer land it owns along N.D. Highway 20 south of UTC Aerospace Systems for lease to businesses looking for property for industrial and commercial uses.
“There is a lot of demand right now from contractors for commercial/industrial property for storage and storefronts with access off a highway,” she said.
With new residential housing developments going to the east of the airport, Andersen said the authority might also like to consider having a convenience store on the property.
Boyd said he would like to see a full-service hotel, including a restaurant, bar and conference rooms, locate on the airport property, preferably near the main entrance off of 13th Street Northeast.
Brian Schuck, program manager for the FAA’s Bismarck office, said the authority has two months to finalize its capital improvement plan. Only projects that are listed in the capital improvement plan are eligible for consideration of federal and state funding programs.
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