Wednesday, Nov. 2

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County airport continues to thrive

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[NOV. 2, 2005]  Logan County Airport is one of many small airports across the country meeting business, transportation and community needs. The airport is both owned and run by the county.

Airport committee chairman Bill Sahs reported that the committee submitted a five-year plan to the state at a meeting on Oct. 3. The airport receives valuable federal dollars through a program known as T.I.P.S., which helps keep the airport a viable economic and transportation asset for the community. The projects that are accepted under the program receive 90 percent federal funding, 5 percent is paid by the state, and the county pays the remaining 5 percent.

Plans that were submitted for approval include the following:

  • 2006 -- Phase one and two of the storm sewer and tiling at the north end of the runways
  • 2007 -- Acquire land
  • 2008 -- Expand apron
  • 2009 -- Additional aircraft parking
  • 2010 -- Partial parallel taxiway

This year's project was completed recently. An area to the north end that included taxiway access to the fuel pump and the tie-down area was resurfaced, first removing a couple of inches of asphalt and then adding a new overlay and paint lines. It cost $375,000.

Last year the main asphalt runway, 3-21, had an overlay and new runway lines painted. The lines were not holding up well and were repainted this year at no extra cost.

The airport expanded its horizons this year by hosting the balloon portion of the Lincoln Art & Balloon Festival. About 10,000 spectators attended the three-day event the last weekend in August.

The airport was more spacious than the previous location and could accommodate all the activities that have built up, including lots of food vendors, music, staging, bocce ball, bingo and, most importantly, room for a beautiful mass balloon ascension.

Sahs said the county will begin planning with the Lincoln/Logan County Chamber of Commerce to have the balloon festival at the Logan County Airport again next year. This year's was considered very successful and a good location. Planners will be working on improving the only problem from last time: traffic flow onto the grounds.

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The Logan County Airport had fuel sales in the amount of 4,617 gallons for the month of September. A pretty good jump, chairman Bill Sahs said. The North American Top Guns, a World War II warbird operation that sells plane rides, used approximately 800 gallons of fuel during the weeks they were here. The airport attracts a lot of aircraft that just stop by for fuel, as it is usually the lowest price around and it is easy access.

On another airport-related matter, a Logan County resident has addressed the airport committee and the Logan County Board about the airport hangar lease agreements. Perry Harris is not happy that he has not been able to lease a hangar at the Logan County Airport.

Harris said that he has been trying to build an experimental aircraft for more than two years and four months. He would like to have hangar space to complete his work.

He said that he has been on a waiting list that had nine people on it in September 2004. He was recently bypassed by county coordinator Dewey Colter, who wasn't even on the list at that time.

Colter does have a flyable aircraft.

The lease agreements say that the hangars are for flyable aircraft. Harris contends that there are several hangars that have unflyable aircraft occupying space in them. He feels he is being discriminated against and has retained a lawyer to take up the matter for him. He has filed seven formal complaints with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Illinois Department of Transportation, Aeronautics Division, and has been informed by those agencies that it is being looked into.

The airport committee has a new policy and procedures on leases and tie-down agreements submitted to the IDOT Aeronautics Division. After the state returns the document, it will go on public display before a final decision is made.

[Jan Youngquist]


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