Private airport redevelopment price tag between $25-$95M

Master planners have released three alternatives for redeveloping the private aviation portion of Aspen’s airport, with estimated costs of $25 million, $35 million and $95 million.

Airport director Jim Elwood is scheduled to discuss the plans with the Pitkin County commissioners this morning.

Elwood and a team of consultants are at work on a 20-year master plan for the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport. They have been holding open houses and planning meetings with local residents over the last year, and hope the commissioners will adopt a final master plan this summer.

The private airport cost estimates are the first dollar figures that have been released in the process. The master planners are expected to release the projected cost of redeveloping the public terminal in advance of a county meeting next Tuesday.

“These are rough numbers,” Elwood said Monday.

Commissioners had pressed for some dollar figures in recent meetings with Elwood and the planning team from Denver-based Barnard Dunkelberg & Company, and consultants from Jviation.

The three plans range from a $25 million option that would renovate the existing private airplane terminal and relocate the current fixed-base operator building, to a $95 million option that would replace the terminal, add a second fixed-base operator and develop the west side of the airport with new private airplane hangars.

“Allowing the west side development is a big part of that,” Elwood said of the priciest option.

The middle option, priced at $35 million, would add a second fixed-based operator, but not develop the west side of the airport grounds.

A fixed-base operator is a private company that provides services like fueling, maintenance and other logistics at airports. Some members of the public, including pilots, have called for a second operator at the airport, where Atlantic Aviation currently has no competition.

Elwood said he and the development team would take commissioners’ feedback on the private airport plans into another round of upcoming public open houses.

“We’re moving forward methodically,” Elwood said. “And we’re trying very hard to listen to the community and make sure the plan that shows up is one that this community wants.”

As the team refines the master plan this spring, they will provide county officials with detailed business models and spending proposals, Elwood said.

Local taxpayer dollars are not expected to be used for the master plan. The cost of any new work on the airport is to be paid for through federal and local enterprise funds, which come from airport user fees.

Source:  http://www.aspendailynews.com