Runway, taxiway being repaved at airport

With one of the biggest projects on the Eunice Airport’s five-year master plan just about complete, airport manager Drew Miller can turn his attention to the new terminal that will be built at the airport next summer.
“The FAA’s (Federal Aviation Administration) prime concern at the airport is the runway,” Miller said. “They want to keep the runway in best operational condition possible.”
The repaving of the runway and taxiway began Nov. 9, and barring any more weather delays, the work should be complete by Dec. 14. As of Thursday, the runway was completely repaved, but there was still part of the taxiway awaiting new asphalt. The life of an asphalt runway is 20 years by FAA standards, as long as it is rehabilitated after 10 years, and the airport’s runway underwent rehab at the 10 year mark. Painting is the next phase of the current project, and Miller expects that part of the project to take about three days.
The work is funded by a $960,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The grant was one of several awarded to support local and regional airports in South Louisiana earlier this fall.
Miller said a few of the planes that are normally kept at the airport’s hangars were temporarily moved to other regional airports while the work is being done, and that those who utilize the strip are pleased about the runway improvements.
Work on the next upgrade, the new terminal, is to start several months from now.
“There are three different proposed locations for the new terminal at the airport, but the FAA has not yet determined its preferred location for the building,” Miller said. “The price tag is about half a million dollars, but that is a very preliminary figure.”
Design and layout plans have not been drawn up yet, but Miller said the building will likely be about 1,200 square feet, and the cost will also include what the FAA considers obstruction removal, which means relocating fencing and the parking lot. the project will be 100 percent funded by the state Department of Transportation and Development Aviation Division.
The Eunice Airport is one of 61 general aviation airports in the state, including the Le Gros Memorial airport in Crowley and the St. Landry Parish-Ahart Field in Opelousas. The Eunice airport is classified by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development as a general aviation Level 3 airport, with Level 1 being larger general aviation airports and Level 4 being the smallest general aviation airports. Level 3 airports maintain a supplemental contributing role for the local economy and community access.
According to the Louisiana Aviation System Plan June 2015 Executive Summary, the airport has a total employment of 23, which is primarily support staff, with a total payroll of $715,000. The total output of the airport is $2.4 million.
“It is estimated that people who use the airport spend about $350,000 a year in the area,” Miller added.
The summary also included that based general aviation aircraft for all system airports is projected to grow from a 2011 level of 2,676 to 3,413 in 2043, an average annual growth rate of 0.76 percent.