Consultant presents three Bowman Field development plans; board discusses hangars, land ownership and FAA funding

Mathew Wilder of Robert Peccia & Associates presented three conceptual development plans for Bowman Field and walked the Airport Advisory Board through options for hangars, fixed-base operators (FBOs) and runway impacts. Wilder said a Schellenbarger parcel would likely need to be owned by the county before major development could proceed.

"For the most part, we probably would need to own the land before proceeding," Wilder said, and he noted that an appraisal on the Schellenbarger property would be FAA-eligible after a buy-sell arrangement was in place. Wilder also told the board the Capital Improvement Plan had been submitted to and accepted by the Federal Aviation Administration, an administrative milestone for seeking federal support.

Board members asked technical and design questions. Doug Chapman inquired about allowable FBO heights; Wilder said designers were thinking roughly 60 feet but that final limits would depend on design and regulatory review. Planning Director Carl Hamming asked whether FAA grants could cover revenue-generating hangars, and Wilder confirmed that such projects can qualify under FAA programs when they are included in an approved CIP.

Wilder said staff would return with more detailed cost estimates and a charted presentation if the board wanted to compare options side-by-side. The consultant also said the board would see a future update on active aircraft counts and that Bowman Field needs at least 10 registered N-numbers to meet certain program thresholds.