Oneonta’s Common Council is setting up the approvals needed to build a $4.5 million partial parallel taxiway at the Albert S. Nader Regional Airport and is seeking a federal grant for the project.
Partial parallel taxiways provide airplanes multiple points of access to and from the runway, but span only part of its the length, allowing for safe increased runway capacity.
The city Clerk’s Office announced Monday that an emergency meeting of the council has been called for Tuesday, July 11, at 5 p.m. in City Hall’s Common Council Chambers.
The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the plan for taxiway construction. Also on the agenda is an executive session to discuss the proposed sale of real property. It was not stated which property will be discussed.
As per state law, the taxiway project requires an environmental quality review, for which the Common Council declared the city’s intent to act as the lead agency in the review on April 4.
According to the council meeting agenda, the Federal Aviation Administration has offered a grant to fund construction for Phase 1 of the taxiway. The federal funds would cover 90% of the project, with 5% of funding from the state and 5% local funding, which would be $225,166.
At its Tuesday meeting, the council is slated to declare that the first phase of construction will not have a significant impact on the environment and vote to make available the city funds to match the FAA grant.
Moderate impacts
An environmental assessment form was prepared by Corrine Steinmuller, an environmental analyst at Binghamton-based engineering and construction management firm McFarland Johnson, dated May 3.
City Clerk Kerri Harrington is the airport administrator and named as the responsible officer in the environmental assessment form. She was unavailable for comment Monday.
The assessment referred to some environmental impacts which it described as moderate.
According to the assessment, about 18,905 square feet, or .434 acres, covering five separate wetlands will be “permanently impacted” as a result of the taxiway project.
“These impacts have been avoided and minimized to the maximum extent practicable,” according to assessment. “It is anticipated that mitigation will be required and a letter has been secured from [conservation nonprofit] The Wetland Trust to provide 0.4 credits to offset the impacts to these wetlands.”
A joint application for a permit was submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. No work is to begin until the permitting process is complete, the report stated, and any wetlands that will not be directly impacted will be protected utilizing erosion and sediment controls consistent with state and federal guidelines.
The assessment stated that the project will alter the current movement of aircraft on the airport property.
“However, this is a positive impact designed to reduce aircraft idling and increase safety per the Federal Aviation Administration’s guidelines,” according to the report.
During construction, re-grading and general construction impacts will cause temporary areas of bare soil, which will be restored or covered prior to project closeout.
There also will be a moderate increase in noise and/or odor due to the use of heavy equipment and asphalt material, limited to 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and return to baseline levels post-construction.
Earlier this year, the council approved applying for a state Department of Transportation grant of $1.3 million to move the airport fuel farm, with a local funding share of $134,393.