Airport projects advance: county agrees to send snow‑broom purchase and Air Race proposal for further review

The Warren County Facilities Committee on June 23 approved sending two airport items for further consideration: a capital purchase for a runway snow broom and referral of an Air Race proposal to the county’s ACT/tax committee for funding review.

Airport staff described a capital project (project total projected at $825,161) to acquire a second snow broom and attachments to make brooming the runway the primary winter snow‑removal method. Staff said the broom will reduce runway‑marking wear and lower future repainting costs; the engineer’s estimate and bid information showed a vendor bid of $784,611.17 and a local match of $20,630. Committee moved the item to the floor and approved forwarding it.

Airport staff also reported positive results from the FAA’s annual inspection: the airport closed two minor findings immediately (a one‑day late emergency plan review and a degraded marking surface that was corrected). The meeting packet included a recap of the Young Eagles outreach event that brought 44 youth to the airport.

Separately, an Air Race representative outlined a proposal to host an international air‑race event. Representatives recommended moving any event date out of spring and toward late summer (August) to improve weather stability and give marketing teams time to sell advanced tickets. Committee members raised operational concerns — lodging availability, traffic and parking, law enforcement and insurance/indemnity — and asked county staff to consult the county’s insurer. The committee voted to forward the request to the ACT/tax committee for funding consideration and to continue early planning conversations with the event promoter.

Next steps: staff will finalize procurement paperwork and local match details for the snow‑broom purchase and prepare an ACT/tax packet and impact details for the Air Race referral.