An expansion opportunity at the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport can't move forward unless some important equipment is relocated.
Thursday, the Airport Commission spoke with representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Minnesota Department of Transportation, AW Research Laboratories and North Point Aviation about the project. No formal action on the issue was taken.
North Point Aviation is looking to expand and has expressed intent to construct, but has no definitive plans. In order for the business to expand, FAA communications antennas will have to be moved.
Another factor in the project is AW Research Laboratories, which may be required to relocate in order to move the antennas. Throwing another wrench into the matter is the company's lease, which runs through September 2017 and will need to be renewed in the near future.
Airport Director Steve Wright said all of these issues should be wrapped into the airport's master planning process, which is currently underway. The site North Point identified for expansion is almost right on the existing AW Research Laboratories, he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
Barry Cooper, the regional administrator of the FAA's Great Lakes region, agreed with Wright in that the master plan process should include a decision on the long-term future of the antennas. The FAA has invested heavily in the airport, he said, notably in the terminal building, and wants to see the facility grow.
"Sometimes the most difficult part is getting into the details of moving those things," Cooper said.
The FAA has proposed a couple of different options for the situation, Cooper said, but it's up to the airport to decide what they want to do. The airport's existing communications system is "pretty good," he said, and the FAA wants to preserve that if the antennas are moved.
The FAA can handle the entire project, which includes planning, engineering, construction and oversight, Cooper said. This option could cost up to $350,000, he said. Or, the airport could handle the construction portion with the FAA providing oversight of the construction project, he said. Wright has information on the estimates for the different options.
"I consider the estimates flexible," Cooper said. "The more we know about how the project would be phased, the more we can modify the costs."
While people may consider the costs high for the amount of work being done, Cooper said, the point he emphasized is the FAA's willingness to work with the airport on the project.
"Our agency is at the table and willing to work and discuss and figure out the details of that project," Cooper said. "I think we can show that we can find ways to move forward in a way that makes good business sense for the airport."
The FAA won't move the antennas until they're notified of a project which will require them to be moved, Cooper said. They're willing to accommodate the expansion project, he said, but need to know when the project is going to happen.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We don't work well in last-minute scenarios," Cooper said. "The federal government is still the federal government."
The FAA works with large and small airports on projects like this, Cooper said, and is sensitive to the impact a project like this can have on a smaller airport's budget.
"We're going to try and find the most economical way possible to move forward, once you decide what it is you want to do," Cooper said.
North Point Aviation co-owner D.J. Dondelinger explained the history behind the expansion process and outlined some of the things a new facility would allow the fixed-base operator to do. Things like a new break room, a line worker office and a parts department will help the business stay competitive, he said.
"There's a few things we'd really like to accomplish to just kind of step up our game at the Brainerd airport," Dondelinger said.
Commission Chair Andy Larson suggested the commission should informally agree to come to a decision on moving the antennas by September, with hope construction could occur next summer. That timeline would be doable for the FAA, Cooper said.
"If you decide, 'OK, we have a project that wants to be a go for next year's construction season,'" Cooper said, "then we get on board with you and we find a way to work it."
Commission member Don Jacobson was absent Thursday.
ADVERTISEMENT
SPENSER BICKETT may be reached at 218-855-5859 or spenser.bickett@brainerddispatch.com . Follow on Twitter at www.twitter.com/spenserbickett .
