ST. PAUL – The Town of St. Paul council recently deliberated applying for a grant to be used for repair and improvement of the St. Paul Airport.
“The St. Paul Airport is an integral piece of infrastructure that is required not only for the economic development and economic benefits of the region, but maybe more importantly for the health care system,” said CAO Steven Jefferey, presenting the agenda to Town council on Sept. 25.
Jefferey added that air ambulance lands in St. Paul regularly, making the airport a key component for healthcare. Administration recommended council apply for a grant for the rehabilitation of the airport, following a recent assessment that airport infrastructure is in poor condition.
An Airfield Runway Condition Assessment for the airport, conducted by HM Aero, has been completed. The assessment grades infrastructure conditions at the airport from very poor to very good.
According to the assessment, Runway 08-26, Taxiway A, and Apron I, which is used for aircraft parking, fueling, loading and unloading, “and provides access to tenant hangar facilities,” are all in “poor condition.”
Two rehabilitation options were presented in the report. The first was a surface overlay that involves completing a 50 mm hot-mixed asphalt surface overlay. The other is a mill and pave operation that includes a 50 mm milling of existing pavement surface in addition to completing localized pavement repairs of any exposed cracks.
A surface overlay is estimated to cost $1.05 million, while the mill and pave option is estimated to cost $1.63 million.
The assessment report recommends proceeding with mill and pave for Runway 08-26, Taxiway A, and Apron I.
According to the report, mill and pave will extend the lifespan of the infrastructures by 15 to 20 years as opposed to eight to 10 years with just the surface overlay.
The report also includes an implementation strategy that involves applying for a Community Airport Program as part of Alberta’s Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program (STIP) grant.
“The Community Airport Program is designed to support smaller regional airports, such as St. Paul Municipal Airport, in preserving their airfield infrastructure to support safe general aviation, commercial, and air ambulance operations, as well as broader economic development. The Town is an eligible applicant and the rehabilitation of Runway 08-26, Taxiway A, and Apron I satisfy the criteria of the program,” reads the HM Aero assessment report.
Through the Community Airport Program, the province contributes 75 per cent of total project cost, while the remaining 25 per cent, estimated at $409,020, will be shared in a 50/50 between the Town of St. Paul and the County of St. Paul in 2024, if the grant application is successful.
Jefferey said administration’s recommendation is to apply as soon as possible. While the County and the Town’s 2024 budgets aren’t approved yet, “What I would recommend is that we actually submit early in our capital budget for projects that we’ve earmarked, even if they’re not necessarily approved so that we can get the money earlier.”
“It would be a better benefit for us to earmark projects, get the money and change as we need. Municipal Affairs has no problem with us doing that,” said Jefferey.
Coun. Norm Noel made a motion to submit a grant application for airport rehabilitation. The motion was carried.
