Improvements planned for Bob Sikes Airport

There should be no question that Crestview’s Bob Sikes Airport is one of the community’s biggest economic generators.

As the county’s General Aviation Airports Manager Scott Musser told members of the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce Airport Committee at an Aug. 26 meeting, the facility provides a nearly $4 million payroll and total annual economic impact of $13.8 million.

With more than $23 million in recent upgrades, including improved lighting and a completed runway resurfacing over the last two years, the airport is on the cusp of even greater benefits for the area, said Okaloosa County Airports project manager Tracy Stage.

And, Stage assured the packed chamber conference room, “That's not coming out of your pockets or your tax dollars.” Funding comes from users of the airport and the national Aviation Trust Fund, he said.

The next planned improvements will include widening taxiways up to 75 feet, which will ready the airport for FAA “Group IV” classified aircraft with wingspans between 118 and 170 feet, such as the DC-10, Boeing 757, 767-200 or Airbus A-300.

The improvements will also provide an integrated storm drainage system that will include a “massive” storm water pond east of the runway.

“This is important for both existing tenants and companies to come,” Stage said.

In order to request bids for the proposed improvements, Stage and his team worked closely and at length with the Northwest Florida Water Management District, an integral partner because some of the airport property consists of wetlands.

As a result, the entire airfield has been essentially pre-permitted, so any construction permits needed can be issued quickly, rather than waiting for the normal 120-day permitting process for each component of a project.

“A lot of work is going into that,” Stage said.

While Stage’s department broke up the improvements into a series of components prioritized based on available funding, the hope is to be able to save money by doing the entire project at one time. A request for bids went out early this summer toward that end.

The winning $10.3 million bid was returned by Anderson Columbia, an Old Town firm that has done previous projects at Bob Sikes Airport, “which is good news for us,” Stage said. “They know the airport and how everything operates. It’s very beneficial.”

With extraneous expenses, including design and engineering, the total cost will be about $11.5 million, Stage said. To obtain funding county airport authorities are actively pursuing both federal and state funds, including the FAA and the Florida Department of Transportation. Stage is optimistic they will be successful.

“I expect some great news about the money coming down from both the agencies that fund it,” Stage said. “We’re just waiting to find out what participation levels the state and the feds will be at.”

If successful in obtaining the funds, construction could begin as early as October, Stage said.

In other airport matters:

• Musser reported that 23 sets of plans for the planned Quest Aviation facility have been sent out for bids. The company buys and dismantles primarily passenger aircraft and resells the parts.

• Emerald Coast Aviation, the airport’s fixed base operator providing general aviation services, has submitted plans to the county for its two-story 8,000-10,000 square-foot terminal, which will include a full-service public restaurant, conference space and an outdoor terrace. Emerald Coast hopes construction can begin within six months, with completion within 18 months.

• Musser reported the county airports partners, including private and county officials, will attend the National Business Aviation Association conference in Atlanta in October. “When we market the airport, it’s a team effort,” said county airports Director Greg Donovan.

“We are constantly lobbying to bring employment and jobs to bolster the economy out here,” Donovan told the audience.