The Yorkton Municipal Airport will be getting some major infrastructure upgrades following an announcement Friday which will see $400,000 flow to the facility, half from the province and half from the city.
Ron Evinou, chair of the Yorkton Airport Authority said the province made half a million available to Saskatchewan through its Community Airport Partnership (CAP) Program. "Of that the Yorkton Airport and Yorkton Airport Authority will be getting 40 per cent," he said.
Yorkton Mayor James Wilson added "we (the City) matched" the $200,000.
Wilson said investment in the airport is important.
"This is one of our entrance ways to the city," he said, adding it helps stimulate tourism and economic development, as well as being critical for things such as medivac services.
As it is the airport has some 10,000 take-offs and landings, said Wilson, far more than most people realize.
"Even people who have lived here their whole lives are surprised by that number," he said.
Yorkton MLA Greg Ottenbreit said it is interesting how Yorkton's airport has one-tenth of the movements of Regina.
Evinou said the announcement is a good one locally."I'm really excited," he said.
The money is ear-marked for upgrades at the airport, said Evinou. He detailed about $165,000 will go to runway lighting, and "a lot of the rest of it is for paving."
"All of it has to be spent on infrastructure."
Ottenbreit said the efforts of the Airport Authority and City to have a plan helped attract the dollars.
"As MLA for the city I'm really happy to get such a significant amount of the CAP money allocated here this year," he said.
The new injection of money will push investment at the airport to $840,000 in the past 20-months, from both the province and the City, said Evinou.
While the recent cash injection is addressing concerns at the airport, much more needs to be done, said Evinou, adding a plan is in place looking forward at the facility. He said the Airport Authority will be going before Council soon to introduce its five and 25-year plans.
"It's going to be a map for the City how an airport should be run," he said.
The plan includes elements such as laying down certain services, so when a new tenant builds at the airport "they will be able to plug into them."
Evinou said the YAA is also going to be teaming with the local Rotary Club to do a thorough face-to-face survey with local business people to gauge interest "in regularly scheduled flights out of Yorkton."
Evinou said he is confident that interest in regular flights exists and with the expected survey data they can start the work to attract such a service. If a regular service is established it would make the airport eligible for federal Airports Capital Assistance Program (ACAP).Ottenbreit said as a regional airport the federal money is a must.
"You've got to get that federal support to really get the airport to the level it should be," he said.
