By KALIN KROHE
Panhandle Post
At its Feb. 21 meeting Chadron City Council approved plans and specifications for the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) Project for the reconstruction of the existing Wildlife Fence Project at the Chadron Municipal Airport and authorized a notice to bidders.
The project also received approval to apply for an application for federal funding.
"This is coming together for us," Chadron City Manager John Sutherland said. "We've talked about this for as long as I've been employed by the city, which isn't all that long. But we've talked about it from the beginning. I know it's been in planning stages for years here in the city and finally gotten to a place where funding is available to do this project. And we're gradually getting the loop closed on this thing so that we can actually get the work let out for bid and then completed...a little bit of luck, maybe the winds will blow the right way and we'll be able to close this project out by the end of the year. Although, there is always that little room for considering the supply and the availability of contractors and so forth, we might end up pushing it over into the next year. This has been a much needed improvement at the airport for years. We're glad to have the opportunity to finally do it. Hats off to our engineering firm, Olsen and Associates for sticking with us and sticking with his project all this time...and doing the work necessary to get us over the finish line."
The Chadron airport has had problems in the past with animal and plant life getting into the area.
"It is a constant struggle," Sutherland said. "You get tumbleweeds blowing up against the fence and it shorts the electric out...and all sudden you don't have electric fence anymore. It has been a struggle. We hope to be able to solve that problem with this project."