b'SECURITY YRA 47Focus on Fencing During its fencing project, YRA took the opportunity to tweak Airport officials knew they needed a new fence, but an FAAentrance gates to make them more accessible/practical. It also inspection got the ball rolling in 2018. The inspectors assessmentremoved other gates that were no longer needed. chronicled differing fence heights, weak posts and gaps that posed significant safety risks. The inspector also noted that the size ofGood for Businessholes in the fence allowed smaller animals like rabbits, cats, fox andMixing wildlife fencing with chain-link fence saved money, but will coyotes to squeeze through. also support YRAs business development efforts. The airport had That inspection pushed the priority of replacing the fence toalready installed a 3,300-foot chain-link fence around the Choice the forefront, Buck recalls. Aviation entrance, and its more recent fencing project reconfigured access to airport hangars on the airfield. The airport enlisted the services of Morrison-Maierle Inc., aPreviously, tenants needed to go through the perimeter fence Montana-based engineering firm, and established a $1 millionto access their hangars. YRA made the entire hangar area budget for new perimeter fencing. accessible to the public by installing new chain-link fencing in line When collaborating on the fence design, personnel from thewith lots where the airport plans to add hangars and connected it airport and engineering firm quickly realized that using chain-linkto the back of existing hangars. fencing for the entire project would be cost prohibitive. AccordingThis is a desirable feature that attracts businesses, Buck to estimates, chain-link fencing would cost $32 per foot versussays. Tenants do not always have to access their hangar through $16 per foot for an option with metal posts and high tensile- perimeter fencing. Before, they needed an airport badge to strength fencing material with square holes that get progressivelyaccess their hangar. smaller toward the bottom of the fence. Having smaller openings at the bottomThis wasnt a problem for tenants with badges; but it was an and larger openings higher up reducedissue for visitors and vendors. With access in the back, tenants fencing costs while keeping animals off thecan put a public office there, explains Buck.airfield, explains Austin Reed, a projectConstruction Delaysengineer for Morrison-Maierle. The fence still provided the protection they neededConstruction began in June 2020, stopped briefly due to material from smaller animals. And, by making theprocurement issues, and resumed in August 2020. fence a consistent 8 feet high, they got theAUSTIN REED Though cases of COVID-19 were rising rapidly at the time, the protection they needed from deer and otherproject never suffered delays because of illness. The primary large animals. delays were material related, primarily with the wildlife fence, In addition to creating a more formidable barrier for wildlife,Reed explains. Chain-link fence was readily available, but the Morrison-Maierle designed the fence to withstand weather-relatedwildlife fence material is more specialized. Plants had shut down stressors. In the past, high wind and stacked up tumbleweedsthat manufacture the high-tensile wire used to produce it. What had actually tipped over portions of the fence.We had to have a beefier fence post to address that concern, saysHangar&DoorExpertsReed. Its also one reason we picked a high-strength tensile material. It is aExpEriEncEd|TimE-TEsTEdlightweight, but resilient, material that could be threaded; so it will not hold the wind or blow in the wind. In total, the airport installed more than 18,300 feet of wildlife fencing around the airfield, and 3,000 square feet of chain-link fence around the business areas. Buck notes that nearby Sheridan County Airport installed a similar wildlife fence in 2016, and National County International Airport in Casper, WY,Start to FiniSH ExpErtiSEplans to add one soon. Single-source for Design, Manufacturing, Erection & Service800.274.0144|FulFab.comAirportImprovement.comMarch | April 2022'