Wasilla Airport projects take shape

WASILLA — A million dollars is heading for the airport with the potential for $3 million more.

Alaska’s delegation to U.S. Congress announced last week that $1.06 million in Federal Aviation Administration money had been earmarked for the airport. Wasilla Public Works Director Archie Giddings said the money may be used to expand the apron at the airport. According to a city ordinance, the project will add more tie-downs to meet growing demand.

Giddings said that though the money is on its way, the city has already put the project out to bid and decided on a contractor.

“That’s the way the FAA works, they let you know there’s money available and then you have to bid it,” Giddings said, adding that the federal government wants to know an exact dollar amount up front.

“It’s like a million dollars worth of work and Bristol Construction will be doing that work for us,” Giddings said.

Of course, that means work can begin relatively quickly.

The other chunk of money is still, as of press time, included in the state’s capital budget. But Gov. Sean Parnell hasn’t wielded his veto pen yet so nothing is definite in that budget.

Still, the $3.1 million line item is for a project Mayor Verne Rupright has been talking about for quite some time. It would build a road between the airport and the city’s sports complex.

Rupright said the Curtis D. Menard Memorial Sports Center is the city’s designated spot for coordinating disaster response and the airport is its main drop-off point for emergency supplies. Currently, if a disaster happened, responders would be wasting a lot of time on the roads.

“The cops are going to have to drive a mile and a half out of the city and a mile and a half back into the city to get to the airport,” Rupright said. But the two facilities are actually much closer as the crow flies.

“It’s nine-tenths of the mile,” the mayor said.

The city has already roughed in what it calls a “pioneer road” along the route.

“You can’t miss it. It’s 80-feet wide,” Rupright said. “When these politicians come out here I can point to it and say, ‘it’s right there.’”

The state money would make it a road anyone can use. Right now, it’s not something really anyone can drive on.

“Hopefully this year, even without any further monies, we can get that brushed in and at least useable,” Rupright said.

Contact Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.