MOUNT ALTON — The Bradford Regional Airport Authority executed a construction agreement Wednesday with IA Construction amounting to $126,554.51 for the parking lot project.
Airport Manager Alicia Dankesreiter said this work, which includes paving the area in front of the terminal and the short term lot, will be done with 100 percent financing from the Federal Aviation Administration. Work is slated to begin Monday.
In another vote, the authority members approved an oil and gas lease agreement with Cameron Energy to supply heat for the terminal, subject to a review by the solicitor.
The September airline report given by Ryan Dach, director of Mid-Atlantic/New England Hometown Stations for Southern Airways Express, showed 212 passengers enplaned and 191 deplaned, for an average of 8.1 passengers per day. All 103 flights were operated.
While the average of 8.1 daily passengers falls below the 10 as required to maintain inclusion in the Essential Air Service, Dach said, “That’s not too bad, considering the COVID-19 pandemic.”
Authority member Ken Kane agreed, adding, “It’s concerning, but not catastrophic, seeing the pandemic’s impact on other airlines.” He encouraged additional efforts to attract the leisure travelers.
One of the reasons for the lower numbers locally is the fact that University of Pittsburgh at Bradford students are staying on campus, Dankesreiter noted. Another is the reduced business travel. However, leisure travel has been increasing and is expected to bounce back.
In a related matter, Dankesreiter said the department has not announced any information about the EAS, the two-year program that expires at the end of October.
In his report, airport engineer Brian Wolfel of GAI Consultants said the airport terminal project is almost complete, except for the boiler unit. Meanwhile, work continues on the Airport Master Plan, the ten-year document that outlines airports’ future growth and is required by the FAA.
When discussing the National Guard’s proposed signage to be placed at the entrance to the airport, authority members recommended designs be submitted to airport officials.
The 2021 budget draft was distributed to the authority members.
Dankesreiter said the 2019 airport audit report was “clean with no findings or concerns.”
Mike Kojancic and Bob Veilleux, the county’s economic development director, have agreed to fill the vacancies on the airport’s advisory committee, which meets prior to the authority’s sessions. They will join the committee in January.
Authority members requested and were given the names of the subcontractors for the terminal rehab project. They are Donegal Construction, Bob Cummins Construction Company and Williams and Willman Line Painting.
