18 - Letter to TxDOT for construction of a hangar taxiway extension, road and pavement repairs

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Item No. 18 l TO: Mayor & City Council Gene Anderson, Interim City Manager FROM: Carla Easton, PE, Engineering & Community Development Director SUBJECT: TxDOT AVIATION FUNDING REQUEST FOR COX FIELD DATE: April 20, 2020 BACKGROUND: The Airport Advisory Board has been looking for opportunities to get more hangars constructed at Cox Field Airport. TxDOT Aviation funding is available for capital improvement projects in accordance with the airport master plan. The Cox Field Airport is allotted $150,000 per year in non -primary entitlement money from state/federal funds to be used on capital improvements administered by TxDOT Aviation. The city has the option to rollover the funds for up to four years in order to complete a sizable project under the TxDOT Aviation CIP program. This would set aside $600,000 for a project to be funded 90% by TxDOT and 10% with local match. STATUS OF ISSUE: The last CIP project completed at the airport was a 4 -unit T -hangar now called Hangar J. The program does not allow for two profit -generating projects back to back, so our next project under this program cannot be for new hangars. However, the program does allow for infrastructure such as a hangar access taxiways and related pavement improvements. A taxiway extension would provide access to potential pad sites for private hangar development. Staff and the advisory board agree that the cost of a taxiway extension is often a deterrent for new private hangar construction, so a project to extend the hangar access taxiway with state and local money has potential to incentivize private projects. The airport master plan identifies short, intermediate, and long-term projects eligible for funding under the TxDOT CIP and RAMP programs. The city has completed most all of the short-term projects, with one of the remaining priorities on the list being a vehicle access road to serve existing and future hangars. Staff recommends to include the access road in the project request to TxDOT in order to build the airport consistently with the master plan.