By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
The Osoyoos Airport Development Committee (OADC) has been given approval by the Town of Osoyoos to change its development plan for the town’s airstrip after surging costs pushed the development of a refueling facility out of reach.
Instead of the refueling infrastructure, council was urged to approve the construction of additional airplane tie-downs in order to maximize the remaining grant money.
The Osoyoos Airport Development Society (OADS) applied for and received grant funding of $524,174 from the province’s Community Economic Recovery Infrastructure Program (CERIP), with that project breaking ground in December 2021.
The proposed improvements included fencing, construction of a grass strip adjacent to the paved runway for ultralight use, runway extension to the south, and tie-downs as well as the fueling tank with a card lock kiosk.
“The majority of the work has now been completed, the final project was for the fueling station,” said Gina MacKay, Director of Planning and Development for the town.
She added that a request for quotations for the refueling infrastructure was released and all bids came in over the expected costs. According to a preliminary capital budget presented by True Consulting on August 30, 2021, the fueling facility was estimated to cost $146,719.
“It was more expensive than originally anticipated for various reasons, one of them was because just the cost of everything has gone up over the time that the cost estimate was prepared,” MacKay said.
Councillor Zach Poturica who sits on the airport committee added: “The cost exceeds the original quote but there is some opportunity there for the tie-downs to enhance the number of tie-downs that were originally proposed to take advantage of the grant funding while it’s still there.” The deadline for using the CERIP grant funding is Mar. 31, 2023.
The OADC works with the town, the OADS, the Osoyoos Indian Band, and the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen to develop the airport.
The stated aim of the development is to make the airport “safe, secure and operational in the context of tourism development, economic development and to encourage growth in the community by attracting more families to take up permanent residence.”
The OADS signaled its intention to return to council in the near future to discuss the vision for the airport going forward.
These latest upgrades follow development spanning 30 years at the airport, with over $1.1 million invested in the facility once the CERIP funds are fully utilized.
