Van Mitchell

GUTHRIE — GUTHRIE — The Guthrie-Edmond Regional Airport Board learned Tuesday that plans are moving forward for the construction of a new T-hangar on airport property.

Edmond board member Richard Geib told board members that the Guthrie City Council and the Edmond Economic Development Authority and the Logan County Economic Development Council have approved having the Guthrie Industrial Development Authority borrow up to $300,000 from EEDA and the LCEDC to build the T-hangar.

The T-hangar would be able to accommodate at least 10 airplanes and would be located with easy access to the airport taxiway.

“We’ve got the T-hangar (project) rolling,” Geib said. “We got the green light from both the economic development folks.”

The GIDA, a separate public trust, will incur the debt. There will be no debt to the City of Guthrie or the City of Edmond for the T-hangar project.

EEDA Executive Director Janet Yowell said previously the two economic development entities will split the loan amount and will back the loan with cash they both already have in the bank.

Yowell said neither state nor federal funds may be used for T-hangar construction, but this construction is critical as a future revenue generator.

Repayment of the loan primarily will come from revenue generated from renting out the T-hangar space. According to the loan proposal, the airport manager will be responsible for the management of the hangars.

Geib said plans call for engineering work to begin later this month and bids for construction of the T-hangar to be let in December through mid-January.

A final bidder would be selected in February with a 60-day construction deadline. The project is expected to be completed and open by the first of May.

Board Vice Chairman Lamar Wade said he is hopeful the project won’t incur any delays in order to meet the construction deadline.

“It’s moving great,” Wade said. “We’re doing it fast. We’re close. We are hoping to have it competed by the end of spring.”

In other action, the board discussed location sites for potential private corporate hangar construction.

Geib said three locations on the south side of the airport have been determined suitable for construction sites.

“These are the ones available to us,” Geib said. “They are very large sites. They are the most ready available locations with utilities.”

Board members also discussed selecting a date for a special meeting to discuss the airport’s feasibility study with a representative with Garver Engineers, the airport’s engineering firm.

The feasibility study is a wish-list of long-range projects the board would like to see accomplished including land acquisition for future expansion at the airport.

Curtis Brown of Garver Engineers said he would need the board to set aside at least a two-hour block of time to discuss the feasibility study.

“The special meeting is designed to see which direction we are going in,” Brown said.

The board didn’t select a date, but voted to have GERA airport manager Aaron Barth contact board members to find a date that best fits their schedule.

In the board comment section, Guthrie board member Gaylord Z. Thomas told the board that since he works full-time in Oklahoma City he would like to see the special meeting scheduled for a time in the evening.

Thomas, a member of the Guthrie City Council, said most City Council meetings and other city meetings are held at night and he suggested the GERA move their meeting schedules from afternoons to evenings.

He said it would be easier for him to make more board meetings and it would also give more members of the public a chance to attend the meetings.