by April Scheinoha
Reporter
Rental cars will soon be coming to the Thief River Falls Regional Airport. This month, Denver Air Connection plans to add car rentals among its offerings.
“What we call the last mile connection is lacking here,” said Airport Manager Joe Hedrick.
Initially, it is anticipated that Denver Air’s fleet will feature three cars. Hedrick noted it is a much needed service. He used the example of a traveler who has flown to the airport and needs to travel to Roseau for business. The traveler currently has to rely on someone else for transportation from Thief River Falls to Roseau.
The need is becoming more evident as more passengers are using the airport. On a recent Sunday, Hedrick counted 27 passengers on a flight that can accommodate 30 people. He believed most of those individuals were out-of-towners who were traveling here for work.
Denver Air Connection currently provides 12 round-trip flights per week at the airport, utilizing a 30-passenger aircraft. A car rental service seemed like a natural extension of its offerings.
A car rental service was offered at the airport in the past. However, the service was discontinued years ago.
Cargo hangar
Plans continue to move forward for a 50,000 square-foot cargo hangar south of the fuel farm at the airport. Estimated to cost $8 million, the hangar would have enough space to park three CRJ-200 aircraft. IFL Group transitioned to those aircraft last year. It transports packages on behalf of both FedEx and UPS at the airport.
IFL Group plans to lease space in the new cargo hangar. The current hangar would then be used by other tenants.
The Airport Authority has received $5.5 million in state bonding proceeds for the new cargo hangar. It anticipates bonding on its own for the remaining $2.5 million of the project. The latter bonding would then be covered by revenue generated from the cargo hangar.
Hedrick expected that the Airport Authority would seek bids in November for the cargo hangar. It is anticipated that construction would occur in 2022. There is some leeway as to when the project will be completed. The Airport Authority anticipates some issues with steel prices and procurement.
As part of an intended, separate project, the Airport Authority plans to construct an apron for the cargo hangar in 2022. It intends to seek federal funding for that project.
Taxiway and runway lighting
The Airport Authority also plans to change the lighting along the taxiway and runway from incandescent lighting to state-of-the-art lighting in 2022. That project is estimated to cost about $2 million with federal funding currently expected to cover 90% of that project. Five percent would come from state funding and the remainder from local funding.
Master plan and
runway extension
The Airport Authority continues to work on its 20-year master plan. The master plan will enable the Airport Authority to justify its belief, among other things, that the runway needs to be extended. The FAA has accepted the forecast; however, it hasn’t yet committed funding for the project.
The airport hopes to extend its runway by 1,500 feet and shift it 100 feet away from the river. If that project were to move forward, Hedrick believed the runway would be extended in four to six years.
Many things need to occur before the runway can be extended. An environmental review needs to be completed to look at roadway realignments and whether the Airport Authority needs to acquire property to extend the runway.