Airport gets $227,300 grant for project

RUSSELLVILLE — City council members have approved a grant agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration for improvements that will aid pilots flying into the Russellville Municipal Airport.

Also known as Bill Pugh Field, the cityowned airport is located about 3 miles south of the city and is managed by Explore Aviation.

City Clerk Belinda Miller said the grant will fund the installation of a new Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI), which gives pilots visual guidance regarding the correct angle and flight path.

The total cost of the project is $277,300, said Garver Aviation Project Manager Randall Richards.

Breakingdownthecost of the project, Richards said engineering is budgeted as $73,000, construction $204,210, and miscellaneous administrative costs $90.

Richards said the project involves the construction of a two-box PAPI for Runway 2.

“There is a single runway at the airport,” Richards said. “The north end has a designation of Runway 20, and the south end has a designation of Runway 2.”

This, he said, will provide visual guidance slope reference for pilots landing on Runway 2.

Richards said the PAPI is needed to improve airport safety by providing pilots with visual data for the approach slope.

He said the Runway 20 approach has a PAPI, but the PAPI for the Runway 2 approach had to be decommissioned some time ago due to age and operational limits.

The FAA grant will pay 95% of the cost of the project while the Alabama Department of Transportation and the city will split the remaining 5%, Richards said.

Richards said the project will get underway once the city receives the grant funds.

“Construction cost is an estimated 28 calendar days,” Richards said. “There may be procurement delay, so construction might not begin for 60 to 90 days.”