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Previously:

• Airport Authority Members Each Asked to Kick In $77,000 For Runway Rehab; Construction Anticipated For 2024

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Though they didn’t object to kicking in $77,000 for a runway rehabilitation project at the Del Norte County Regional Airport, Curry County commissioners faced an important question — where would the money come from?

Commissioner Brad Alcorn, who has been on the Curry County budget committee for about four years, said Wednesday he anticipates a general fund deficit of about $2 million this year.

Stating that the airport is essential for public safety and acknowledging a proposal from the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority director to divide that $77,000 request into two payments, Alcorn asked where those dollars would come from.

“I don’t know that we have a thorough understanding of what our balances are and what our deficits are,” he told his colleagues. “If we were to do $38,000 twice, where would that come from? Maybe the two of you have an idea where to pull that money from, but right now I’m unsure.”

Two days after he received a funding commitment from the Crescent City Council, Airport Authority Director Ryan Cooley made a similar pitch to the Curry County Board of Commissioners.

If all six member agencies that make up the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority contribute $77,000, the authority will be able to meet the 5 percent match required on a grant-funded project to rehabilitate Runway 18-36, Cooley told commissioners.

In addition to Crescent City and Curry County, airport authority members include Del Norte County, the City of Brookings, Elk Valley Rancheria and the Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation.

The mill and overlay project for the runway is expected to cost between $8 million and $9 million. Ninety-five percent of the project will be paid for through Federal Aviation Administration grant dollars and entitlement fees as well as passenger facility charges, according to Cooley. The Airport Authority is expected to contribute between $400,000 and $460,000 toward the project.

The project consists of removing the top layer of asphalt on the runway and replacing it with new pavement. The airport’s incandescent lighting system will also be replaced with LED lights, according to Cooley. Construction is scheduled to begin next year.

So far, Cooley said, the Crescent City Council and Del Norte County Board of Supervisors each agreed to contribute $77,000 toward the project. He said the Brookings City Council will present the issue to their budget committee before voting. Elk Valley Rancheria is waiting to see what the other member agencies do, Cooley said, and the Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation are also still working on how best to contribute.

Del Norte County also contributes $271,000 to the airport authority annually for their labor costs, Cooley said.

“We understand it can be hard to come up with $77,000 in one lump sum,” he told Curry County commissioners. “Because of the timeliness of the project (construction) being toward the middle of next year, you could split that $77,000 over two budget cycles if you need to. Construction probably won’t be completed as of July 1, 2024.”

With the Del Norte County Regional Airport situated about 20 miles south of the state line, many of the passengers it serves are from Oregon, Cooley said. According to reservation data collected from Contour Airlines, the carrier that serves Crescent City, out of 1,635 reservations made in 2022, 702 came from Curry County, he said.

Cal-Ore Life Flight also operates out of Crescent City, transporting more than 1,000 patients a year to medical facilities out of the area. According to Cooley’s presentation, about 35 percent of those patients are Curry County residents, half are Del Norte County residents and 15 percent are visitors from other areas.

Runway 18-36 serves as a secondary runway should the airport’s main run be out of commission, according to Cal-Ore Life Flight President Dan Brattain. Without the ability to select one or the other runway, Runway 12-30, there would be days when Cal-Ore aircraft couldn’t land, he said.

“Because of the crosswind that’s how it works,” he said. “(Runway 18-36) is in dire need of repair. I understand budgets are a big deal for all of us, but certainly something needs to be done.”

According to Cooley, the pavement at Runway 18-36 is in fair to poor condition and is deteriorating with alligator cracking. On Wednesday, when Commissioner Jay Trost asked what happens if the airport authority isn’t able to meet the 5 percent match, Cooley said the project wouldn’t be completed.

“If the runway didn’t get rehabilitated, the FAA could come in and say the cracks are too big we have to limit what type of aircraft can operate on the runway,” Cooley told commissioners. “We’d have to remove commercial service operations and potentially emergency air service and worst case scenario, shut it down completely.”

In 2027, the Border Coast Regional Airport Authority will be embarking on a similar rehabilitation project for its main runway, Runway 12-30, Cooley said.

Brattain said Cal-Ore Life Flight may have to defer to the Rogue Valley International Airport in Medford or the Arcata-Eureka Airport if Del Norte wasn’t available. Though there are airports in both Gold Beach and Brookings, Brattain said Cal-Ore flies out of Crescent City about 60 percent of the time.

Both Brattain and Cooley suggested potential sources of funding for Curry County to provide its $77,000 contribution. Cooley noted that during a Runway Safety Area project and the construction of the airport’s new terminal, the City of Brookings got a grant for about $400,000 through the Oregon Department of Transportation.

Brattain said then-Congressman Peter DeFazio also helped secure funding for the airport’s new terminal. Brattain urged commissioners to reach out to DeFazio’s predecessor Valerie Hoyle, who was elected in November.

Alcorn urged his colleagues to get the input of the Curry County budget committee and explore other options for grant funding or state support.

“Both UPS and FedEx use that airport,” Alcorn said. “A lot of our community members have medical devices, prescription drugs and medical needs that come from FedEx and UPS. That also plays an integral part in the health and welfare of the community.”

Documents:

• Runway Rehab Project Presentation

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