New Board May Be Less Powerful, But It Has Big Plans

Worried, perhaps, about runaway runway construction, the Bentonville City Council in Arkansas voted earlier this year to do away with the Airport Commission and create an Airport Advisory Board.

The new board met Tuesday night, aiming to tackle projects like runway expansion and construction of a new taxiway. Board members voted to go ahead with a 1.7 acre land acquisition near the airport. The current owner of that land was refused a building permit earlier this year because the structure would have been too close to the end of the runway.

With a combination of state and federal money -- some of it in the form of FAA grants -- board members reportedly decided not only to go ahead with the purchase, but to extend the runway 345 feet, making the airport accessible to a bigger class of aircraft. That project is priced at well more than $400,000.

The new taxiway would be on the west side of the airport and would give Eagle Med, a medical air evacuation operation, access to the runway itself. Eagle Med is now negotiating a lease at the airport.

FMI: www.bentonvillear.com