Members of the Osoyoos Airport Development Society are hoping the current runway can be extended as one of many projects they would like to see happen at the Osoyoos Airport property in the coming years. (Keith Lacey photo)
A small group of dedicated local professionals who have been fighting to keep – and one day expand – Osoyoos Airport are thrilled about the future after Town of Osoyoos council’s recent decision to abandon a motion to look at repurposing airport lands for industrial use.
Glen Harris, the development manager at the Watermark Beach Resort and a founding member and current president of the Osoyoos Airport Development Society (OADS), said his group is thrilled with council’s recent decision.
Almost two years ago, newly-elected Mayor Sue McKortoff and members of staff issued a press release stating council was considering selling the land where the Osoyoos Airport is located and repurposing it to possibly expand the town’s current industrial park northwest of town limits.
This announcement led to the formation of the OADS, whose members urged council to reconsider.
Council announced last year that it has listened to their concerns and concerns from many local citizens and groups and would no longer consider closing the airport and repurposing airport lands for industrial use.
During a meeting of council earlier in November, council officially announced any plans to repurpose Osoyoos Airport lands had been scrapped.
“We’re very pleased that the town has made the decision that it will no longer be considering repurposing the Osoyoos Airport,” said Harris. “The town now appears willing to work with our society to upgrade the facility and hopefully one day we can look at expansion of our airport.”
The OADS held its annual general meeting last week and is proud to introduce two new members Johnson Steiner and Mary Harvey, said Harris.
They will join longtime members Rob Rausch, a local business owner and professional pilot; Tom McHale, the owner of Gemstone Logistics, a company that transports workers from across B.C. and Canada to oil field operations in Alberta; and Diana Thomas, a woman who has worked in the tourism promotion industry for several years.
Bob Knight and Peter Bueschkens are also society members..
Dr. Jason Bartsch, an Osoyoos dentist and founding member of OADS, is still actively involved in plans to develop Osoyoos Airport, but is no longer a member of the society due to family and business obligations, said Harris.
With the town’s commitment to keep Osoyoos Airport open, the society is moving ahead with plans to apply for funding to begin upgrading the facility, said Harris.
Back in October, they formally applied for a grant through the B.C. Rural Dividend Fund, which provides funding to projects involving land planning in rural communities like Osoyoos, said Harris.
If that application is successful – the society expects to receive a response to its application some time in the next several weeks – the money would be used to upgrade numerous projects at the Osoyoos Airport, he said.
“Some of those projects would include security fencing, tiedowns for small aircraft, new markings for the runaway to bring them up to date and a basic cleanup of the property,” he said. “Those are the four main projects we’ve earmarked for upgrades should we be successful in our application.”
A second application that provides funding to airports in British Columbia has to be submitted by Dec. 16 and that funding would also be used on these four projects, he said.
Other long-term goals include construction of a new terminal building and fuelling depots on site within the next one to two years and the lengthening of the runway to allow for bigger aircraft to land and take off from Osoyoos Airport within three to five years, said Harris.
Building a new terminal and extending the runway would allow businesses like the Watermark Beach Resort to host more and bigger events on a regular basis, he said.
A new steering committee to look at airport expansion has been formed and will work with the OADS moving forward, said Harris.
Members of this steering committee include current town councillors Mike Campol, Jim King and Carol Younberg, Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) Area A director Mark Pendergraft, Osoyoos Indian Band business development officer Chris Bower and Kelly Glazer, the executive director with Destination Osoyoos.
Harris said his general feeling is “the vast majority of local residents support” an expansion of the Osoyoos Airport and it’s the job of the OADS and steering committee to convince others who don’t support the project that it’s in the best interests of the community at large to have a functioning, financially viable small community airport.
The society and steering committee realize local taxpayers don’t want to foot the bill when it comes to airport expansion and that’s why all funding will continue to be pursued through available government and business grants, he said.
KEITH LACEY
Osoyoos Times
