City Council has amended the 2017 Budget to allow for a fence to be built around the airport. The project will cost $80, 000 but is a necessary step according to Wade Frasz, the Airport Manager.
“Number one is aviation safety. We’ve got wildlife that can be an issue, vehicles that can drive out on to air site right now, so it’s very important for us.”
Just this past week, Frasz says wildlife has been an issue.
“In the last couple weeks we’ve seen an increase. We’ve had buffalo, a herd of buffalo, coming up the airport road heading towards the air field. Had we not stopped them they would’ve been on the airport property, which would’ve meant we would’ve had to shut down the airport until we could have got them all off. We’ve had cattle coming up here in the last week and then most recently we had a bear come right across the runway.”
The funding for the project is being supported by Alberta Federal Gas Tax Funds. The next step is to put the contract up for tender and award it. Frasz says he hopes construction will start by the end of July.
