After many years in the planning stage, lengthening of runway 14/32 at the Don Monthei Airport in Jefferson is close to becoming reality.
The Jefferson city council on Tuesday approved the land acquisition either by purchase or by eminent domain of about 50 acres of farm land needed for the project. Funding from the Federal Aviation Administration is available to cover 90 percent of the project.
Dustin Leo of DGR Engineering made a brief presentation during a public hearing at the city council meeting. He explained that extending the runway from the present 3,200 feet to 4,000 feet would allow business jets to use the airfield. The airfield now serves recreational flyers and the small planes used for aerial applications of farm chemicals or seed. A longer runway is needed for small corporate jets, Leo said.
The proposed project calls for purchasing nearby farmland not to take it out of production, but to be sure the city has control over land use. The runway protection zone – the area at the end of the runway where the majority of accidents occur – could still be planted in row crops but would not be available for buildings. Typically, the city leases the land back to the owner for farming, Leo explained.
Dennis Hall and Betty Reinhardt are the landowners involved, with Hall owning about 47 acres and Reinhardt owning 2.6 acres. They have agreed in principle to the project. Leo explained the process whereby an FAA-selected appraiser would determine fair market value for the land and negotiations of the price would start at that value. He said the FAA appraisers generally name a price higher than other appraisers would.
If the purchase price is agreed to easily, the city could make an offer on the property as soon as the end of April, Leo said.
The project budget was created assuming a cost of $10,000 to $11,000 per acre. The budget was done two years ago and land values have changed. Leo said there are also considerations of added expense caused by changing the geometry of the land, and that will be part of the FAA appraised value.
He did not name the source of the city’s 10 percent match. The city receives $150,000 in FAA funds per year and can carry some of that amount over from year to year. Dr Jim Forbes, chair of the airport commission, has said previously that funding for the 10 percent match is possible.
The project also involves re-aligning a portion of 243rd St south of the runway. The road project is also eligible for 90 percent FAA funding.
Paul Quam, who lives on 243rd St, said that although the project had been discussed with the two owners of ag land, there had been no contact with the 10 or 12 families who live in close proximity to the airport. He asked about the preliminary re-design of the road, the cost of moving utilities, and how flight patterns would change with the longer runway and larger aircraft. Leo said that concern about noise from the flight patterns was handled as part of an environmental impact assessment already done.
