By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
Dowagiac Municipal Airport serves a dual purpose.
First, it's an economic development tool.
The big east-west runway, 9-27, lands the business class, of which a flight was arriving at 7:30 p.m. Monday.
Second is the turf runway, 4-22, "where the boys can play" and keep local interest high, Airport Manager Gary Carlile advised City Council Monday night.
"I have a cousin who took flight training out of Goshen" in Indiana, Carlile said, "and they fly up here to land on turf because it's fun. The airport has a dual role. The local guys are the ones who really support the operation maintenance of the airport through their gas sales, which are up significantly now that we've got a self-service gas station, and ground space leases."
Before the council March 12 were contracts with R.W. Armstrong of Lansing to provide engineering services and paving design for all taxiways and entrance roads.
The design contract is for $33,150 (local match, $828.75, or $1,115.75 for both).
"All areas in and around the airport that were not paved during the airport rehabilitation project," Carlile said. "Some of these areas have never been paved."
Money for the project comes from an annual allocation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through an airport improvement program funded by fuel tax.
"Basically, pilots pay for this on a national basis," Carlile said. "Those funds are shared with municipalities and general aviation airports on an annual basis."
Carlile said, "This is only a contract for design and engineering. After that, we will then apply for funds within one or two years to pay for construction. All funds are at 2 1/2-percent local cost. I have spoken with Airport Board Chairman Vic Cuthbert about the project. We've also talked to the pilots out there who own hangars and rent ground space from the city about helping us pay their share. We're looking at an approximately $300,000 project, so we're looking at only $6,500 local share. It's a pretty good deal."
A companion project, costing $11,480 (local match, $287), "is looking at the possibility – and I stress possibility – of relocating our small turf runway which is called 4-22 based on its north-south-east-west orientation. The idea of the possible reorientation is to get us a little more hangar space. We have some interest in the airport of building one, two, maybe three larger hangars, but right now we're landlocked unless we go to the alternate plan for a brand-new crossway runway, which would be a remarkably expensive undertaking.
"By jiggling 4-22 one way or the other, if it's feasible, we could get ourselves enough room to accommodate more hangars. More hangars mean more ground space revenue. More ground space revenue means possibly more fuel revenue and also tax revenue generated off new construction."
Additional hangars "would be a positive thing for a small organization," Carlile said.
Carlile added, in response to a question from Mayor Pro Tem Wayne Comstock, "One end of the turf runway or the other may very well stay where it's at."
The airport is at full occupancy, Carlile said. "We sold an old eight-unit hangar along Prairie Ronde and we've got three new occupants in that. The guys have been doing a lot of work and we've got a lot of activity. The SMC hangar has been sold. I've been involved in the airport since 1975, but (especially) since 1992. It's a good group of people and a cordial operation."