It will be a busy construction season at William R. Fairchild International Airport (CLM) in Washington state.
According to Airport Manager Jeffery Robb, there are plans to develop 22 acres of land to accommodate more general aviation aircraft at CLM, which is the largest airport on the Olympic Peninsula.
“We are seeing more of the larger corporate aircraft, such as the Gulfstream 550s and smaller Learjets,” he said. “There is a shortage of transient parking on the ramp now for these larger aircraft and we have lots of development in the surrounding community that is bringing more of these aircraft in.”
A majority of the development is being paid for with federal funds. “We have to match 5% of it and the Port of Port Angeles, which operates the airport, has agreed to contribute $40,000, so, if you do the math, you can see this is an $800,000 project.”
The project entails the widening and strengthening of taxiways to accommodate larger aircraft and the construction of aprons and placement of utilities to facilitate hangar development down the road. This is the third phase of an airport development plan that got underway in 2000. Previous projects included the construction of hangars that are now filled, says Robb.
Bids for the initial stages of the construction are slated to open June 20.
The airport is located northwest of the city, on the coast. It has two runways, the longest being 6,347 x 150 feet. A former military field, it sits on 800 acres.