The 100 Mile Airport has received provincial funding for improvements to runway safety, but the grant application for fencing improvements has proven to be unsuccessful.
On June 25, the Ministry of Transportation and Transit put out a press release, where as part of the $6.2 million invested through the B.C. Air Access Program, $14,401 had been allocated to 100 Mile House for runway improvements. It's news that Mayor Maureen Pinkney welcomed.
"That's fantastic. I mean, safety has to be the first and foremost thing we look into. So, being able to update some of the items, I believe it was some wind socks and some signage. I'm not sure if the GPS was in there, but to be able to upgrade those is the most important," Pinkney said.
In the press release, Minister of Transportation and Transit Mike Farnworth said that "these improvements to our rural and regional airports will help keep British Columbians connected and our economy on the move."
On March 11, the District of 100 Mile House endorsed two grant applications to the B.C. Air Access Program, which is a cost-share program supporting the infrastructure and environmental needs of airports, heliports and water aerodromes.
The first grant application, the successful one, will go towards runway safety improvements, including adding new mandatory instruction signs, a new taxiway centre line on the runway, new designation marking for the runways and installing four low-flying aircraft roadway warning signs. The district proposed paying $4,615.80 for the safety improvements, while the rest of the $18,463.19 cost would be covered by the grant.
In documents for the March 11 meeting, the fencing condition had been described as varied, with certain areas being in a state of disrepair. The project aims to remove the existing post and wire fencing and install 580 metres of six-foot chain link perimeter fencing and two un-powered vehicle gates to provide access to Apron I - and costs around $75,023.44, with the district covering around $30,009.38 for the project.
Pinkney said the fact that the district could not get funding for their second application to the program was "unfortunate."
"That is also safety. Keeping animals off the runway is a big safety factor, and the fence is in bad shape," Pinkney explained.
Pinkney says that the fencing project will not happen until the district secures some matching funding. As a result, they will be applying again for the grant in another intake set for later this year. Originally, the fencing project was set to begin in June 2025 and be completed by November 2025.
"Sometimes there are just too many people applying for the same pot of money. And it doesn't mean your project wasn't better than the rest. It just means it didn't get to the top of the pile," Pinkney stated. "So when they offer it over and over throughout the year, we'll just keep trying till we get it."
As for the runway project, Pinkney says that they will be moving as fast as possible. The district had originally planned to complete the project by August of this year.
Pinkney says there are not as many grants or as much money in the pocket when it comes to rural infrastructure in general, so any funding is always welcomed.
"You just have to be very diligent to keep an eye out for these grants. But also, that takes a lot of staff time. They're already busy doing the jobs of the day, and then they have to stop their work to go hunt those down," Pinkney opined. "There's probably always a better way the government could be doing them, but we are very thankful every time we get one."
