Feds invest in St. Andrews Airport
Posted By John Towns
The Federal Government has invested $19,160 into upgrades for the St. Andrews Airport as part of the Airport Capital Assistance Program (ACAP).
The funding, which comes as part of a nationwide investment of almost $42 million in safety upgrades to airports by the Government of Canada, will be used at the St. Andrews Airport to replace some signs that have fallen below current safety standards, according to airport executive director Craig Skonberg.
"The airport has fibre optic signs that are used to direct aircraft into different areas when they're on the ground. We have about 42 of those signs, and three of them have to be brought up to the standards, which recently changed in terms of making them better visually," explained Skonberg. "We'll replace the existing signs with new ones and give them greater luminescence and make them easier to see."
Selkirk-Interlake Member of Parliament James Bezan, who announced the funding for the St. Andrews Airport on behalf of federal Transport Minister John Baird, said in a release that the move was made to help support small airports.
"Smaller airports are vital to many communities across the country, which is why the Government of Canada is taking action to invest in these much-needed safety upgrades," wrote Bezan. "I'm pleased to announce funding for the St. Andrews Airport that will allow it to make important safety and infrastructure upgrades, and sustain excellent service to passengers and businesses throughout the community."
According to Skonberg, the signs should indeed help make pilots lives' easier, as they'll be able to more accurately direct pilots where they need to go on the tarmac.
"It should make things easier and safer for our pilots out there, because they'll be able to see better where they are in terms of runways and taxiways. We're very happy to be able to make these upgrades," he said. Skonberg added that it will likely take some time before the changes are actually made, as some of the paperwork issues still need to be worked out.
"There's a bunch of paper processing that we have to do, and then we have to order the signs, which are only made by one company in Canada," he said. "Once we have them, though, we'll be doing our own installation with a local electrician, and that will probably take only about a week, but it's a matter of processing the paperwork first."
According to St. Andrews Reeve Don Forfar, the municipality is always pleased to receive federal funding for anything within the RM.
"Council has mandated the board to operate a safe, viable airport," he wrote in an email to The Journal, adding that the municipality owns the airport, though it is operated by a volunteer board. "Any federal funding that helps the airport be safe and viable, is a good thing."
Forfar went on to commend the St. Andrews Airport as "a valuable municipal asset."
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"The airport has made a small profit for the past several years, provides employment for several people," he wrote.
The government's ACAP program is designed to finance projects related to safety at airports, such as resurfacing runways, purchasing equipment like fire trucks and snowplows, or - as in the case with the St. Andrews Airport - purchasing new or more effective signage. Since the program was introduced, ACAP has invested $533 million for 650 projects at 170 airports across the country.
