Caldwell airport wins $2 million FAA design grant; council discusses tower, timeline and runway consequences

Caldwell — Airport director Scott Swanson told the council the Caldwell Executive Airport has secured a $2 million FAA engineering and design grant toward a proposed control tower and outlined a multi‑year timeline and local impacts.

Swanson described the grant as a no‑match FAA award that will fund engineering and design documents; the city plans a national RFQ/RFP to hire an architect/engineering firm and expects 14–18 months to complete design work before applying for construction funds. "This will be an internal RFP process looking for an architect and going through that planning and then at the end of a probably a 14 to 18 month process have engineering and designs packet ready to go to submit to a firm to bid on construction over the next few years," Swanson said.

He told council the grant raised FY27’s requested airport budget to $2.8 million but noted $2 million of that is the capital grant. The airport is projecting lease revenue around $345,000 and expects the airport to become more self‑supporting over the next four to five years as hangar construction continues; Swanson said 31 new hangars were under construction or completed since August 2023 and another 25 could appear on the tax rolls in 2027.

Councilors pressed for procurement rigor; one urged a national RFQ to ensure qualified firms are selected before the federal grant arrives. Swanson supported that approach and suggested a 30–45 day national solicitation. He also walked council through high‑level cost estimates previously discussed at the federal level (staff cited combinations of full‑feature tower designs near $25 million, with reduced‑scope options closer to $20 million), and said his goal was to cap the local/state match at about $2 million.

Council discussion addressed operational consequences for other airport infrastructure. Swanson cautioned that bringing larger business charters and controlled airspace typically changes the FAA safety‑area classification. "With a tower, I would expect to see more Bravo 3 and Charlie level aircraft... once an airport hits 250 operations a year with those aircraft, the FAA will mandate safety area changes" requiring a larger runway safety area; he said such changes would likely mandate closure of the Linden runway in a future phase.

What happens next: staff recommended a national RFQ/RFP this fall, preparation of engineering documents, and continued engagement with federal and state partners; council asked staff to prepare formal procurement language and to keep the city informed as construction funding rounds open. Swanson said the city has collected letters of support from federal senators and other stakeholders to bolster later construction‑fund applications.

Sources and attributions: Scott Swanson, director of aviation, spoke at length about the grant, timeline and operational impacts; councilors raised procurement and safety questions. Swanson said the FAA grant will fund engineering/design documents as a no‑match award.

Ending: City staff will pursue a national RFQ/RFP and complete design work to keep the airport eligible for future FAA construction funding rounds.