b'FUELINGAZA31Country. Last year, the airport served closejobs across the to 1.9 million passengers with nonstopcountry.commercial service to more than 40 U.S.Gary Leach, destinations.a senior project Gateway Aviation Services, anmanager with KEAR airport-owned FBO, provides all fuelCivil, was involved for commercial airliners, corporate jets,with the AZA project general aviation operators and militaryfrom its design stageGARY LEACHaircraft. Overall, it pumps 17 million to 20in spring 2022 through the start of million gallons of Jet A and 100 Low-Leadconstruction in May 2023. He and two Avgas annually. other full-time KEAR personnel oversaw The fuel farm at AZA sits off themultiple subcontractors, with up to 30 south ramp and previously included twoskilled trade workers at peak. Leach says 50,000-gallon tanks and a half-dozenminimizing operational disruptions and smaller ones. Kimley Horn and Swansonsecurity concerns made the project at AZA Rink had designed the master plan forchallenging but fun.the fuel farm facility. Airport leaders laterYoure trying to integrate to give them chose to expand the existing site by addingthe most bang for their buck, he explains. three new tanks, a less costly but moreI enjoyed the extra challenge of, How in complicated option compared to buildingthe world are we going to get this tied in a new facility. KEAR Civil Corporation, awithout shutting them down for too long?Phoenix-based business with decades ofUltimately, the answer was isolating related experience and expertise, was theup to two tanks from operational rotation airports key project partner.while tying new components into the pipes We were selectedand infrastructure. Changing the existing on qualifications andtank management systemhardware and price, says KEARsoftwarepresented a larger challenge Civil President Mikebecause it required an even higher level of cost-prohibitive for AZA, which serves lessFossett. And we werecoordination.than 2 million annual passengers (vs. nearlyable to work with the 50 million per year at PHX). Instead, theThere were some key folks on the owner through designowners team who were very familiar smaller airport receives its fuel from Westand construction.MIKE FOSSETTPhoenix via truck, with tankers making thewith the old system, which was a huge That doesnt typicallybenefit to the integration of new controls 70-mile roundtrip 10 to 16 times each day.happen on design/bid/build projects, but and getting that system integrated while If the depot in West Phoenix goes offline,this approach allowed us to bring a lot ofkeeping everything up and running as Plan B is trucking in fuel from Southernefficiencies in scope.much as possible, Leach says. It took California via Interstate 10, which is knownKEAR used the Construction Manager atsome long days to minimize the impact of for its traffic congestion. Given the multipleRisk delivery method to expedite the projectonsite work, he adds. points for potential failure, the benefitsand purchased components from various of boosting onsite storage at AZA wereProject designers upgraded AZAs tank vendors. It also handled the civil work,management system to the TMS4000, compelling.mechanical work and project management. from Pneumercator. The new system is There have been pipeline disruptionsOne could say KEAR was born for thereportedly much easier for the airport-from California to Phoenix. There werejob because it was founded in 2001 andowned FBO to maintain because it closures of the depot in West Phoenix, andperformed its first commercial fueling projectallows individual tanks to come offline for there have been disruptions to the truckingat PHX, just 20 miles from AZA, soon after.cleaning, fuel transfers or general repairs of the fuel caused by driver shortages,Over the ensuing decades, KEARwhile other tanks remain in operation. ONeill says. There were times where weCivil built specialized fueling systems were getting low on Jet A, and it put us inThats a bonus to at U.S. military bases and commercialus, says Matthew a precarious situation. airfields coast to coast. Airport clients Nebgen, director of include Los Angeles International (LAX), Local Solution Nashville International (BNA), Salt LakeGateway Aviation In addition to its active general aviationServices.City International (SLC) and San Diego traffic, AZA has scheduled flights from twoInternational (SAN). It has also completed leisure-oriented airlines, Allegiant and Sundozens of municipal water infrastructure MATTHEW NEBGENAirportImprovement.comOctober 2024'