Two locals had La Plata County officials all to themselves Tuesday evening at the Ignacio Library. It was a county commissioners' on-the-road meeting, one of several held around the county each year.
Most of the discussion was about the expansion plans for the Durango-La Plata County Airport.
Airport Director Kip Turner gave an update, mainly on funding efforts. The master plan study presented a year ago was the first phase toward expansion. The current second phase is an environmental assessment (EA) of the preferred alternative, to build a new terminal on the east side of the airport property.
The EA started last October and could take until October 2017, Turner said. Three meetings are scheduled next week for people to learn about the EA and the master plan alternative that it's based on:
. Tuesday, April 19, for adjacent landowners, 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the airport conference room;
. Wednesday, April 20, community meeting in the county administration building, 1101 E. 2nd Ave. in Durango from 6 to 7:30 p.m.;
. Thursday, April 21, community meeting at Ignacio Town Hall from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Audience member Sage Remington asked if there has been any Southern Ute Tribal representation at planning meetings that have already been held. Yes, County Commissioner Julie Westendorff said, mainly from the Tribal Growth Fund.
"We've done several things to make sure the tribe was included," including a presentation about the master plan and a special meeting on the EA, Turner said.
Westendorff added that Jviation, which did the master plan and is over-seeing the EA work, contacted a number of tribes that have some history in this area. Turner said around 27 were invited to be involved, and around five, including the Southern Utes, said yes.
Turner said the master plan vetted the alternatives that would have kept the terminal on the west side of the runway. "None addressed the current need," he said. "The airport grew phenomenally over the last decade. Traffic doubled. We have to address facilities to remain competitive." That's for businesses that lease space at the airport as well as passengers, he said.
"Right now we have a family of four living in a one bedroom apartment," he said.
That got to funding for the expansion. The estimate for the first phase of expansion, including the new terminal, is around $85 million, Turner said. "There are no cheap alternatives. (The airport) sits on a mesa. The west side is already full. ... The two west side alternatives were more expensive than the one we chose on the east side. You get more bang for the buck."
The Federal Aviation Administration has said it will fund around $40 million. "FAA funding criteria say projects must have a shelf life of at least 15 to 20 years," Turner said.
The state will provide around $1 million, and the airport can provide $4 or $5 million for the project. "That leaves $35 to $40 million to make the first phase work," he said. "This is just to catch up, not for growth. Future phases would be funded by the airport."
Westendorff said, "Comments we heard last year included ways for users from Farmington to help pay for the airport," to have funding agreements with Farmington and San Juan County in New Mexico. She noted a bill progressing through the Colorado legislature to allow for funding agreements across state lines. New Mexico already allows that.
"That would be a huge asset," Turner said. "This airport has become the regional airport. Farmington has pretty much recognized that." He speculated that they will be a willing partner.
"In March we had almost 15,000 emplanements," he said, with several flights a day on two major carriers to various destinations while the Farmington airport is down to a couple flights a day on small planes operated by Great Lakes Airlines. They only go to Denver.
He reported that as of June 2, the Durango- La Plata Airport will have flights to Los Angeles.
The other local funding prospect is a property or sales tax increase.
Turner said, "For the project to have life, it will require the community to step up, just like with a library or a rec center." The airport is a $300 million economic driver and accounts for more than 2,600 jobs, he asserted. The airport already charges a fee of $4.50 per emplanement, the maximum Congress allows, he said. There have been efforts to get Congress to raise the fee cap, but they haven't been productive, he said.
"We've exhausted efforts to find other sources of money," he said. "The airport has figured out everything it can do on its own. We have a partner (the FFA) for a 1:1 match. That's not something you hear from them every day. You don't get them to the table that easy."
County Manager Joe Kerby said the county commissioners are looking at a property tax increase of around 1.59 mills. "We are currently 8.5 mills, the fourth lowest in the state."
Audience member Bob Peck commented, "That makes it attractive to live here."
The increase would be around $50 a year, Westendorff said.
Commissioner Gwen Lachelt said both the county commissioners and Durango city councilors seem to favor a property tax increase over a sales tax increase. Either one needs voter approval.
"We haven't made any final decisions about whether anything will go on the ballot," Westendorff said. "I'm not as excited about a mill levy increase compared to the city council." Public comments have favored sales tax, but there are a lot of owners of expensive second homes in the county who would be paying the property tax, she said.
"It looks like a property tax measure is more likely," she said. "The county hasn't raised its property tax in over 25 years."
Peck wanted to know what's happening with an effort to streamline land use approvals for minor things like boundary adjustments, to have administrative approvals instead of sending those to the county commissioners for approval.
County planning staffer Jason Meininger agreed with Peck that the code change has been in the works since 2014. "It's been with the (county) attorney's office since early 2015. They don't have the capacity, and it's not identified as a priority for them." It's not land use standards that will change, just the process, he said. "We want to do them administratively. That's what we've been pushing for and haven't been able to achieve."
