Sechelt council has authorized a letter to go to the Town of Gibsons, the shíshálh Nation and the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) asking them to consider providing “matching funds” for the airport runway resurfacing and extension project.
The district, which has been the sole owner and manager of the airport since Gibsons sold the district its interest in the property in 1996, is facing an estimate of $3,184,937 for the project, which is based on a 700-ft. (213-metre) extension to the runway.
The original budget was $1,387,460, with a provincial grant covering 75 per cent and the rest coming from the district’s gas tax reserve. But council heard last December that an engineering assessment and design work called for “further earthworks required to meet standards,” which could not be covered by that budget.
The district is still awaiting word on its application for a further $1,348,108 grant from the BC Air Access Program. If that grant application is successful, the district would have to find an additional $449,369 to make up its 25 per cent share of the larger budget.
Council did not make any decisions about which funding pool that money should come from, but Coun. Eric Scott said it’s time to get the other local governments involved.
“I think we need to move forward with the idea that this is a regional airport and there needs to be contributions from the other governments into this,” said Scott, chair of the district’s airport committee. “That airport is used by everybody on the lower Sunshine Coast and it shouldn’t just be the District of Sechelt that pays for it.”
District staff and the consultant, Associated Engineering, are recommending that if the project goes forward the contract be awarded to Jakes Construction of Chilliwack as “the lowest compliant bid.”
