The District of Sechelt's top priority for 2008 is getting closer to takeoff.
Surveying and geotechnical work related to the Sechelt airport expansion has been taking place over the winter, looking at the viability of lengthening the runway, said Coun. Mike Shanks. Plans also include development of 12 new hangars on leased land on the west of the runway, an improved terminal and a light industrial area near the southeast corner of the runway. "With expansion comes opportunities," said Shanks. "It's exciting what this could produce in terms of more jobs."
Since a developer's 2005 proposal to extend the runway to 2,400 metres fell flat, the District has been looking into improving the airport themselves. The new hangars could support mechanical shops and services for planes, Shanks said, while the light industrial areas could be an attractive space for warehouses and couriers, as an alternative to using the ferry system to bring in goods. "Eighty-six per cent of the tax base is residential in Sechelt - we need to look at more industrial and commercial tax base," Shanks said.
Extending the runway south from its present length of 732 metres to 1,200 metres and widening it to 30 metres would allow the airport to begin taking passenger flights, said Shanks, who chairs the District's airport advisory committee. According to figures from B.C. Ferries, four per cent of potential ferry passengers would choose to fly instead of commuting by ferry, a number that translates to 40,000 person-trips per year at the expanded airport. The airport is currently restricted to charter flights, since it is unlicensed. Expansion would include painting new line markings, adding a GPS system and other steps needed to make it a certified runway.
Six to 12 passenger Learjets could become regular users of the improved airport. The largest passenger plane would be a 19-seat turboprop plane, such as a Beechcraft Kingair, said the District's finance director (and recreational pilot) Doug Chapman. A longer runway would also allow for MEDEVAC flights and forest fire suppression aircraft. Another way to improve the airport's meagre operating surplus (just $7,112 in 2005) would be running a flight school, Shanks said. With half a dozen schools crowding the field at the Boundary Bay Airport in Delta, Shanks said he's optimistic a flight school will be interested in the Sechelt airport.
Topography around the airport means the runway, which runs northwest-southeast, will need its orientation adjusted slightly in order to reach 1,300 metres, Shanks said. Expansion beyond that length would be difficult due to Husdon Creek, which lies to the east. The expanded airport will not enter the Chapman Creek watershed, he added.
A new noise abatement procedure should assuage concerns over noise from increased air traffic, Chapman said. Noise complaints are rare, and most concern "transient aircraft" passing over Sechelt, not those using the airport, he said.While some nearby residents have expressed concerns about property values dropping if air traffic is increased, Shanks said that's an unlikely scenario.
"From my perspective, that's a red herring," he said.
A Sunshine Coast Community Futures Development Corporation committee plans to use the geotechnical results to help the District form a business plan to entice federal and provincial funding. Shanks said the work so far shows the substrate will be ideal for building a longer runway.
Expansion money is being sought from federal sources such as the new Build Canada grant and Western Economic Diversification, while the District also expects to put together an Island Coastal Economic Trust application of between $1 million and $2 million. The federal funds won't become available until the runway is expanded and certified and has 1,000 passengers for three consecutive years. The District has also been saving for an airport fund and has tucked away about $120,000.
