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It has been eight years since Minden-Tahoe Airport contracted to bring utilities to the east side.
Last week, Airport Manager Heather MacDonnell made a pitch to put those utilities to work for restrooms on the east side of the airport to the county’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Board.
MacDonnell said that for around $730,000, the airport could install a bathroom and pavilion on the east side that would serve as a spark to developing that part of the airport.
“It has been eight years since Minden-Tahoe Airport contracted to bring utilities to the east side.
Last week, Airport Manager Heather MacDonnell made a pitch to put those utilities to work for restrooms on the east side of the airport to the county’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Board.
MacDonnell said that for around $730,000, the airport could install a bathroom and pavilion on the east side that would serve as a spark to developing that part of the airport.
“We have 996 acres, 90,000 operations a year, 78 hangar tenants, 130 land lease tenant, multiple events through the year and one public bathroom,” she said.
Developing the east side of the airport has long been a goal, dating back to the 1990s. At one time there was a proposal for an aviation museum and soaring center.
But the most that has occurred over the years has been the extension of utilities.
Built during World War II, the airport mostly developed on the west side, but most soaring competitions are conducted on the southeastern runway due to prevailing winds.
During those events, MacDonnell said she rents portable restrooms for the east side, but that she would like to upgrade that.
Longtime soaring advocate and Airport Advisory Committee member Linda Mae Hivert told parks & recreation advisers that soaring operations are growing, creating a need.
“There’s getting to be more and more activity on the east side but there are no facilities,” she said. “Soaring operations are required to operate from the launching and staging area. In order to get to staging area quite aways to go from the hangar area to the staging area.”
The shortcut between the two sides of the airport is to cross active runways, MacDonnell pointed out.
“This would be an anchor for future soaring development,” Hivert said. “Our area has a valuable natural resource in the weather and terrain that can substantially increase the economic vitality of our area through soaring.”
Parks & Recreation Chairwoman Kelley Gardner said that the board does its capital list in September and welcomed the airport advisers to submit a project.
While the airport has long touted itself as self-supporting, MacDonnell said that was a myth.
“While the airport generates revenues for basic operational costs, we also rely heavily on FAA funding for significant infrastructure work,” she said. “Federal grants don’t fund anything but paving taxi and runways, basically. Anything other than that, the airport has to fund.”
The airport was included in the 1998 PALS sales tax that was approved to make up for room tax revenues with the Legislature approved the Tahoe Douglas Visitor’s Authority Act in 1997.
Those room tax dollars had previously gone to parks, the library, the senior center and the airport.