b'GENERAL AVIATIONYGE 71BEFORE AFTERThe repaved runway is a significant improvement for tenants and visiting aircraft.homework. You need something that backs up why youre applying75-foot-wide runway and two taxiways up to the hold short lines. for funding. Other taxiway and apron areas would have to wait. The project team again turned to HM Aerothis time for aFrom a project-timing standpoint, it was important for YGE strategic and tactical plan. In 2021, the town and its consultantto remain fully operational throughout summer, when use of its successfully secured $120,000 in funding through the federalrunway peaks for flights tied to tourism, skydiving and other COVID-stimulus Regional Air Transportation Initiative. Thisadventure recreation. Summer is also high season for wildfires, grant covered the costs of a topographic survey, geotechnicaland the airport is an essential component for firefighting efforts. investigation and detailed engineering design. That meant bumping the milling and repaving work to October, In late 2022, the province announced significant increaseswhich introduced a challenge since autumn temperatures in to the funds available through the British Columbia Air AccessGolden often dip below the 41 F minimum required for contractors Program (BCAAP). The town and HM Aero collaborated on a grantto lay the polymer-modified asphalt that engineers specified. funding application and secured $2 million (the maximum availableBut the weather cooperated, and crews finished by the end of through the program) toward the runway rehabilitation that wasOctober.estimated to cost $2.7 million. The town and Columbia ShuswapApron repairs will be completed when funding is available, notes Regional District provided the balance of needed capital funds. Wilsgard. HM Aeros strategic plan provides a 10-year action plan We were told by the BCAAP adjudication team that they hadthat includes capital rehabilitation recommendations and ideas to never seen a better application in the programs history, Wilsgardcreate new revenue streams. One possible investment is building reports. The thoroughness and the story that HM Aero helpedprivate aircraft hangars to attract charter operators and other us tell was some of the most comprehensive storytelling they hadaircraft service providers.ever seen. A lot of towns will take a plan like the one we created and Crooks and other team members from HM Aero werelet it sit on the shelf, Crooks says. A lot of credit goes to Jon encouraged by the massive groundswell of support from the[Wilsgard] and the Town Council to keep this moving forward.community throughout the project. It motivates you to reallyFor Wilsgard, maintaining enthusiasm for the airport project was swing for the fences and get them the win they need, he reflects.easy.Goldens story spoke for itself. We didnt have to stretch things to make the application a strong one. In my 17 years, this was the most gratifying and fantastic community process and success that Ive been through, he Getting to Work reflects. It was objectively and emotionally satisfying to see a HM Aero had the project ready to tender shortly after BCAAPcommunity come together and also get support from across the awarded the airport a $2 million grant last April. The job wasnation to ensure that what we had here was going to stay. The awarded to Okanagan Aggregates out of Armstrong, BC. Becauseuniversal statement of its importance was fantastic. From where costs had increased since the strategic plan was completed, therewe started in 2019actually pondering whether we were going to was only enough money to repave the entire 4,500-foot-long,keep this thingto getting the money to repave it was the ultimate closing of the loop. AirportImprovement.comJanuary | February 2024'