The Alva Airport Commission made some progress on several ongoing projects during their meeting Monday. Dale Logsdon was absent so Paul Kinzie chaired the meeting.

Airport Manager Greg Murray reported 79 customer interactions in the last month. Total sales for August for $16,428.02 were up about $1,600 from July. The airport sold $11,995.68 in 100LL fuel and $4,229.40 in Jet A. The remaining $204.94 was from oil sales.

Murray said dirt work began on the turf runway Aug. 21. Shirley Dozer representative Levi Rose told him they expected to wrap it up this week. He has also excavated the storm drain that had washed out. Commission Member Terry Turner said he had been out to look at the runway construction. He said there’s a soft spot on the west end where a dozer got stuck, but he proclaimed the runway “plenty wide.”

Murray replaced a broken window in the round top hangar. It is not known how the window was broken. He said a spindle on the ZTR mower deck was replaced.

There was a water line break just south of the airport terminal last weekend. Water to the terminal had to be shut off over the weekend until the city could fix the leak. The leak was repaired Monday and the water turned on.

Turner asked how hangar rentals are going and if there were any vacancies. Murray said there were just a few. Turner said that meant the airport could handle an overnight rental of hangar space if needed. The airport charges $25 per night for that service.

Turf Runway

Now that the turf runway is about complete, Commission Member Kelly Parker asked, “What next?”

Since it is too late in the year to install turf, the members discussed alternatives to stabilize the soil. Turner suggested planting wheat and keeping it mowed. Kinzie asked about a mixture of grass and rye seed. Parker said rye needs a lot of water, but wheat is a more hardy option. Cory Washburn said he had a problem in his backyard where he keeps dogs. He planted wheat, and it has worked out well.

Turner said he’s not a farmer and suggested the manager contact the conservation people. The board members agreed and asked Murray to contact the conservation district for guidance.

Kinzie, who has missed a couple of meetings, asked if anything has been done about marking the corners of the runway so it’s more visible. There were several suggestions such as filling some cutoff barrels with sand and painting the outside in orange and white. Reflectors were another possibility.

Murray said he thought he had some extra reflectors in storage. He will check to see if he has four to mark the corners. If not, he’s to check on getting extras.

Parker asked when the turf runway would be ready for pilot use. Kinzie suggested next spring. Turner said it could possibly be earlier, maybe before Christmas. Kinzie said the runway would need some rain and cover crop growth to stabilize it before it is opened. Murray said it is not listed as active yet.

Signage

Parker presented the commission with a couple of options for signage at the airport. One was reflective, and the other was not. He said the cost with delivery would be in the $950 range.

After some discussion, Washburn made a motion to change the speed on the signs to 20 mph (from 10 mph) and to purchase the reflective signs for $806.56 plus freight. The motion carried.

Parker apologized for not getting prices on the other type of signage, saying he just overlooked that. He said he’ll have that information for the October meeting.

Hangar Lighting

Murray talked with Monte Pfleider of OG&E about possible lighting around the new building that houses eight T-hangars at the airport. He explained that two lights on poles could be installed at no expense to the airport except for any additional cost for electricity use.

He drew a rough diagram showing where Pfleider suggested placing the lights. There was concern that one of the lights might impede future construction. Commission members played with several different ideas and finally settled on a design of four lights, one at each corner of the building.

Washburn made a motion authorizing the manager to order the installation of lights at the four corners as indicated on the map drawn at the meeting for a cost not to exceed the manager’s spending limit. Parker seconded, and the motion carried.

There were no comments at the end of the meeting other than Murray saying the airport terminal painting did not get on the agenda this time. He’ll present that information at the next meeting.