Wasilla airport bolstered by federal money

WASILLA — More federal money is flooding in to the Wasilla Airport with plans to dramatically increase the footprint of the facility.

The city secured a $1.35 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to expand the airport’s apron. This money is matched by more than $35,000 from both the city and state.

The current size of the airport’s apron — the paved area off the runway — is hampering the facility’s growth, Wasilla Public Works Director Archie Giddings said in a previous interview. There is a waiting list for airplane tie-downs, and the amount of space the city can lease to commercial operations is limited.

In December, the city received $500,000 to work on the airport from a federal appropriation. At the time, Giddings said the money would be used to begin leveling a hill to allow for the apron expansion. Based on the numbers given at the time, the $1.42 million headed to the airport should complete the first phase of this project.

The improvements will have the added benefit of producing the dirt fill required for a future expansion of the runway, Giddings said. It may help the approach for a future access road as well.

The city is also working on a new airport master plan due out near the end of the year. The plan will identify what interest is out there for what type of uses on the new apron and what the city ultimately wants the airport to look like in 20 years, Giddings said.

“We just need to gauge what type of interest is out there. What kinds of use do we want at the airport? Do we want to tailor certain areas to specific businesses?” Giddings said. “We are trying to anticipate the market to see what trends are out there.”

Contact Todd L. Disher at todd.disher@frontiersman.com or 352-2252.