Port of Port Townsend commissioners voted unanimously June 28 to authorize a $239,229 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant for phase-one design of a runway rehabilitation project at Jefferson County International Airport.

Commissioners also unanimously approved a contract with Reid Middleton Inc. to conduct the design work.

The FAA would fund 90 percent ($239,229) of the $265,809 cost of phase-one design through its Airport Improvement Program (AIP). The remaining 10 percent ($26,580) is to be funded by a combination of Port of Port Townsend matching funds and a Washington State Department of Transportation grant.

The runway was first paved in 1988 using an AIP grant. In 2013, runway cracks were filled and a coat of slurry coat applied as part of regular maintenance, according to port officials.

According to port documents, while the 2013 maintenance “improved the aesthetic appearance and helped achieve the design life of the pavement, it did not materially extend its design life.”

Gary Lanthrum, president of the Jefferson County Pilots Association, contended last month that the runway scored 77 out of a possible 100 during a pavement condition assessment (PCI) in 2012 and thus did not need to be rebuilt at this time.

Lanthrum speculated that the mild winter and summers in Port Townsend – compared to the harsher conditions east of the Cascades – could be why the runway appeared to be in better condition than is typical for its age.

Port officials said that because of the size and complexity of the project, the runway should be addressed now, rather than wait until it deteriorates and causes a crisis.

FAA TO REASSESS

Sam Gibboney, executive director for the port, said the FAA would reassess the runway condition sometime in the next few weeks, and added that the aviation division of the Washington State Department of Transportation had told her that.

Eric Toews, director of planning for the port, said the contract with Reid Middleton allows the port commission to terminate the agreement if it is found that rehabilitation isn’t warranted at this time.

“There is a decision point where the commission retains the ability to turn the switch off if it chooses to do so,” Toews said.

“What this is about, though, just to be really clear, is only phase-one design and engineering and environmental,” Toews said.

Phase one for design includes two alternatives: The first is to keep the runway as a “shed” design as it is now – slightly tilted to one side to allow water to run off. The second is to create a “crown” design so the runway has a slight domed shape to allow water to flow off both sides.

Crown designs are the FAA standard, so the port would need permission to keep the shed design. The crown design would also be more expensive, because additional stormwater design work would be required, Gibboney said.

Phase two would complete the design work, and then the final phase would be actual construction of a new runway, which could happen as early as 2019.