By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
By the end of September, the Nephi City Airport will have completed another project at the Nephi City Airport.
Mel Leseberg, from Jviation, Inc., met with the Nephi City council and gave an update on the progress of the north apron expansion project currently under construction at the municipal airport.
Jviation is the consulting engineering firm that designed the project and is carrying out the construction management and inspections.
Mark Jones, mayor, said, just that morning, he had noted a business-sized jet leaving the airport and heading north to the Wasatch Front.
"It is exciting for me to know we have that capability," said Jones.
Leseberg said the north apron project would increase the usefulness of the airport even more.
"We began the project on August 11 and we expect to be done by September 9," he said.
The power was also taken to the area as part of the project and storm drainage problems have also been addressed.
"We will have a water drain box along the back of the hangers," he said.
He displayed a map of the work area and of future plans for the airport.
One spot, colored yellow on the map, was an area which would, in the future, be paved so that firefighting equipment can more easily use the airport as a base for aircraft used to fly retardant to drop over wildfires.
"When we have a fire, the aircraft use of lot of space," Leseberg said.
The fire retardant the planes carry also makes a mess at the airport, he said. Therefore, that space will be sloped so the retardant will be more easily kept to one area where it can be cleaned up.
The asphalt expansion project will add approximately 85,000 square feet of new asphalt on the north.
The city airport has become host to an annual event called the Nephi OLC/Cross-Country Camp that is sponsored by the Utah Soaring Association and plans are to make the new area able to better accommodate the event.
"We will have tie downs installed running east and west," he said. "We will snake a cable through those so the gliders can be tied down."
Nephi Municipal Airport is a General Aviation Regional Airport and, as such, serves primarily general aviation activity, including jet and multi-engine aircraft and provides access to major population centers.
It is located approximately three miles north and west of the city. The airport has a single runway that is 6,300 feet long and 100 feet wide. The airport is outside the incorporated limits of the city, located in the unincorporated area of Juab County.
"Wherever a soft spot, likely caused by drainage problems, was found it was fixed," he said.
The apron rehabilitation consists of the complete removal of the existing pavement section, excavation to the new subgrade elevation, construction of the new pavement section, edge and storm drain installation and aircraft tie-down installation. It required a sub-base, a crushed aggregate course and a bituminous layer.
"The bulk of the $929,000 in funds needed to do the work came from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with the Utah Division of Aeronautics and the city both providing matching funds," said Leseberg.
The Division of Aeronautics is responsible for all UDOT transportation issues involving aviation. It licenses all public-use airports in the state and works closely with airport sponsors and managers to ensure that each functions as an integral part of the statewide system of airports.
"We did a survey of the airport pavement," he said. "The pavement is nine-years old but has very minuscule cracks."
That was a tribute to the excellent work that had been done there in 2006.
He said that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) met with Randy McKnight, city administrator, every five years.
"They will meet this October," he said. "They will look at projects at that time."
Over the last five years approximately 40 percent of all federal airport improvement funds were allocated to the improvement of the state's general aviation airports, such as Nephi. The remaining 60 percent was primarily allocated for improvements at SLC International with the St. George and Cedar City airports also receiving a portion for airport improvements.
The Utah Division of Aeronautics administers state programs for funding airport planning, construction, and maintenance projects. The primary source of funding utilized by the Division is generated by aviation fuel taxes and registration fees on aircraft based in Utah. The revenue generated from these taxes and fees are deposited into a restricted account from which funds are appropriated annually by the Utah Legislature.
The state appropriation for airport improvements has averaged approximately $2.3 million annually over the last five years.
"This is one of our favorite airports," said Leseberg.
