Airport to move forward with terminal design work

By Nate Delesline III

Published: April 10, 2008

The Airport Advisory Committee agreed Wednesday to continue with design work on a new airport terminal, using money already set aside for the project.

“We’ve got some decisions to make as an airport committee,” County Administrator Frank Bossio said. “We probably need to have some sort of decision about the size of the terminal.

However, committee member Mike Dale said scaling back the project would defeat the purpose, and several of the members agreed.

At an estimated cost of $2.2 million, the proposed terminal would replace the current 39-year-old building at Culpeper Regional Airport. County officials say the present building is safe and functional — but filled to capacity — leaving no room for future expansion or programs.

Even though about 98 percent of the project’s funds would come from federal and state sources, Bossio said even that portion of funding is in jeopardy as regional airports like Culpeper compete for money.

“This year, I just don’t know how the funding is going to go,” Bossio said.

Estimated costs and a timeline for completion have not been set.

Meanwhile, work to create an airport community awareness presentation continues.

Dale suggested the presentation should contain three elements: why an airport is important to any town, how Culpeper’s airport fits into the county’s long-term economic and growth plan, and how officials operate the airport.

Board of Supervisors Chairman Bill Chase said concerns about the airport’s economic impact on the county — both positive and negative — are not new.

He said some have called the airport “nothing but a drain,” but Chase said that’s not true.

Dale agreed.

“I think there is a sense of frustration in the room that the county (resident) doesn’t understand that a runway is an economic engine,” Dale said.

In other matters, the committee is expected to make an announcement in May about the status of AirFest, the airport’s annual air show.

The event is set for Oct. 11. The possibility of scaling back or even canceling the show was discussed earlier this year, but Committee Chairman Bill Flathers dismissed those concerns.

“I would be encouraged,” Flathers said. “There’s a lot of volunteers that help out — it’ll be something that people will look forward to.”

Nate Delesline III can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 110 or .