MONROE - Plan Commission members agreed Wednesday that the larger of the two runways at Monroe Municipal Airport was due for reconstruction and recommended the Monroe Common Council consider the project during a public hearing scheduled for Nov. 21.
The vote was unanimous among the five present members, Bill Bethke, Louis Armstrong, Nate Klassy, Donna Douglas and Chuck Schuringa.
Monroe Municipal Airport Supervisor Rob Driver said the last project completed on the runway was roughly 30 years ago. Some lighting has gone bad and parts of the asphalt need repair.
"I've been robbing parts from one thing or another, taking things from one to put in another, to keep our main runway open," Driver said. "I think it's time."
Council members set the date for the public hearing Tuesday and approved a request from the Monroe Municipal Airport to petition the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for state aid to help pay for the $2 million project.
During the commission meeting, City Clerk Carol Stamm outlined the plans, specifying that $50,000 would be paid by the city in 2018, with an identical payment being made in 2019 for the project. The grant money would cover the rest, Stamm said.
Klassy was involved in city business when the last reconstruction project was completed. He expressed positive feelings about the project and the airport.
"The state has always been real good to us at the airport, and it shows," Klassy said.
City Administrator Phil Rath said the bigger of the two runways, which accommodates jets used by area businesses, is the one that will receive an overhaul. He said the runway will be engineered in 2018 with completion scheduled for 2019. Rath added the runway received some patchwork last year and was becoming worn down.
"It's just getting to the point where we need to plan ahead," Rath said.
In total, the city would pay roughly 5 percent for the project. Funding would come from entitlement dollars designated by the Federal Aviation Association, he said.
Driver said out of the customers Monroe Municipal Airport serves, about 85 percent are commercial. One reason the city felt the need to update the runway was because of those customers expressing concerns or even flat-out refusing to use the airport. Colony Brands Inc. is one of those customers refusing to use it.
"With the news that some of the people aren't using it because it's a little rough, I think it's time to take care of it," Driver said.
Plans outline repairs to cracked material, lighting upgrades and clearing runway approaches. Driver said it is more than a regrind and asphalt overlay project. The workers will reconstruct the runway, repaving its entire length and installing LED lights for energy and cost savings.
The vote was unanimous among the five present members, Bill Bethke, Louis Armstrong, Nate Klassy, Donna Douglas and Chuck Schuringa.
Monroe Municipal Airport Supervisor Rob Driver said the last project completed on the runway was roughly 30 years ago. Some lighting has gone bad and parts of the asphalt need repair.
"I've been robbing parts from one thing or another, taking things from one to put in another, to keep our main runway open," Driver said. "I think it's time."
Council members set the date for the public hearing Tuesday and approved a request from the Monroe Municipal Airport to petition the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for state aid to help pay for the $2 million project.
During the commission meeting, City Clerk Carol Stamm outlined the plans, specifying that $50,000 would be paid by the city in 2018, with an identical payment being made in 2019 for the project. The grant money would cover the rest, Stamm said.
Klassy was involved in city business when the last reconstruction project was completed. He expressed positive feelings about the project and the airport.
"The state has always been real good to us at the airport, and it shows," Klassy said.
City Administrator Phil Rath said the bigger of the two runways, which accommodates jets used by area businesses, is the one that will receive an overhaul. He said the runway will be engineered in 2018 with completion scheduled for 2019. Rath added the runway received some patchwork last year and was becoming worn down.
"It's just getting to the point where we need to plan ahead," Rath said.
In total, the city would pay roughly 5 percent for the project. Funding would come from entitlement dollars designated by the Federal Aviation Association, he said.
Driver said out of the customers Monroe Municipal Airport serves, about 85 percent are commercial. One reason the city felt the need to update the runway was because of those customers expressing concerns or even flat-out refusing to use the airport. Colony Brands Inc. is one of those customers refusing to use it.
"With the news that some of the people aren't using it because it's a little rough, I think it's time to take care of it," Driver said.
Plans outline repairs to cracked material, lighting upgrades and clearing runway approaches. Driver said it is more than a regrind and asphalt overlay project. The workers will reconstruct the runway, repaving its entire length and installing LED lights for energy and cost savings.