By Troy Gillard

City funding on hold

County approves additional $500,000 for airport runway repairs

Apr 29, 2020 | 1:19 PM

Red Deer County is stepping up with another half-million dollars to help with Red Deer Regional Airport repairs after the City of Red Deer grounded its funding pending a review.

Repairs to the secondary runway at the airport were originally pegged at $2.6 million dollars and were to be split evenly between the city and county. In the end, the repairs came in at $1.8 million, $800,000 under budget.

The City of Red Deer has told the county that they are not in a position to provide their share of funding until city council can revisit its capital plan. The City also wants an updated strategic and business plan from the Red Deer Regional Airport Authority before approving any capital funding.

“On April 21, 2020, the City of Red Deer indicated to Red Deer County that they are in a position to continue with quarterly payments for operating funds,” county council was told in a report from administration. “However, due to COVID-19 and the City’s substantial emergency response to it, they have advised that most matters have been deferred from City Council’s agenda.”

Runway 12/30 is the backup to the main runway at Red Deer Regional Airport, and last year supported more than 12,000 takeoffs and landings – just over 16% of the airport’s total movements. Over the past several years, the runway has deteriorated and as a result must either be refurbished or closed in accordance with a corrective action plan agreed to with Transport Canada.

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County council on Tuesday approved spending an additional $506,930 to ensure the repairs are completed. The project start date is scheduled for June 15.