SPRINGDALE Runway, lighting improvements proceed

By Richard Massey

Posted: July 31, 2009 at 5:29 a.m.

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SPRINGDALE — It might take a few years to complete but an upgrade at Springdale Municipal Airport is under way.

A contractor recently cleared all trees and vegetation on 6.6 acres on the airport's southwest side. The property, purchased through a condemnation late last year, is being graded and seeded for grass.

Plans for the property include a runway expansion and the installation of corporate hangars. Removal of the trees and the wildlife they harbored also makes the airport safer for pilots and passengers, airport officials said.

Also, Springdale is asking the Federal Aviation Administration to install and maintain a new system of approach lighting for the runway. A letter seeking help from U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., was drafted Tuesday.

"It's all coming together the way it was supposed to," said airport Director James Smith, gesturing toward the cleared land. "This opens up the whole south end."

The airport now must commission an "approach study" that takes the 6.6 acres into account. The study will determine the feasibility of lengthening the runway 300 feet, said Wyman Morgan, city director of finance and administration.

A final estimate has not been determined, but with studies, design and construction, the expansion could cost as much as $2.2 million. The figure does not include moving the taxiway to the west, new federal guidelines may mandate.

"That would make the project a lot more expensive," Morgan said.

The approach lighting system at Springdale Municipal Airport is archaic. Built with aluminum poles and located primarily on the grounds of the Jones Center for Families north of Emma Avenue, the system is outdated and precariously situated, said Smith and Morgan.

Of the system's seven 20-foot towers, six are on the Jones Center's grounds. While fencing surrounds the tower connected to the electricity grid, just bollards protect the other towers, allowing pedestrian access.

"It's a safety issue," Smith said. "These are the lights you need to find the airport."

Controlled by radio, lights on the towers on the north side of the airport have three flashing levels.

Most of the time they work, but when the lights do not come on, a technician has to adjust the system from an electrical control box on Emma, Smith said.

The FAA operates and maintains the approach lighting systems at Drake Field in Fayetteville and at Rogers Municipal Airport. Federal legislation would be needed to authorize the agency assuming control over Springdale's system, Morgan said.

The city hopes to hear from Pryor's office in the next couple of weeks, Morgan said.

"This stuff needs to be updated," Smith said. "It's ancient."

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 11, 12 on 07/31/2009

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