During a visit in May, Luzerne County Councilman Brian Thornton checks out a 1929 building at the county-owned Wyoming Valley Airport that is still in active use and appreciated for its historical value.
File photo
A project is underway to rehabilitate a section of the asphalt apron at the Wyoming Valley Airport — the first in a series of improvements planned at the Luzerne County-owned complex in Forty Fort and Wyoming, according to contracts recently posted on the county website.
This work will be funded through a previously awarded Federal Aviation Administration and Pennsylvania Airport Improvement Program block grant, which will require a county match, the contracts say.
Other upcoming projects will be covered by $6 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds county council earmarked in July for capital improvements at the airport.
New Enterprise Stone and Lime Co., of Wilkes-Barre, will be paid $970,415 to complete the apron reconstruction by March 16, it said.
Another contract posting said Alfred Benesch & Company has been retained to provide design and construction management services at the airport. Two contract addendums totaling $139,000 recently were approved to cover additional services performed by Benesch.
Dominic J. Yannuzzi, who is serving as project manager for Benesch, said the apron is the asphalt area that extends from the taxiway to the terminal and hangars.
The apron is an essential space for planes to get into position and be tied down, he said.
Yannuzzi said the current apron is in poor condition. The apron configuration also was modified as part of the project to comply with current FAA standards, he said.
“It’s a better surface for planes to maneuver,” he said.
Full-depth reclamation will be used, which means the existing asphalt material will be milled and mixed with cement to form the base of the new apron, he said. Another 3 inches of fresh asphalt will be applied on top of this base.
This approach allows recycling of the old material, he noted. The reclamation is completed by a large asphalt recycling machine.
Although New Enterprise has until March to complete the work, Yannuzzi said he is optimistic the project can be completed by the end of October.
More work
County Manager Romilda Crocamo said the administration is developing a plan on how American Rescue funds will be used to improve the complex.
Some work is necessary at the airport to comply with current standards, such as enhancements to taxiway areas that accommodate aircraft landing and taking off, officials have said. New hangars also are in-demand and would generate revenue. American Rescue projects must be completed by the end of 2026.
When the American Rescue allocation was approved, some council members said the county largely ignored airport needs for decades.
The county acquired the 110-acre airport in the 1940s.
In addition to typical airport services, the complex operates an in-demand pilot training program and serves as a fueling station for medevac and law enforcement aircraft, which means it is important to save lives, officials have said.
Council recently voted on lease renewal with Valley Aviation Inc., the airport’s longtime fixed base operator. The county’s airport advisory board also has been reactivated and meeting regularly following council’s push to recruit volunteers to serve.
Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.
