The Port of Camas-Washougal invites the community to attend the upcoming commission meeting scheduled for November 2 as the board nears a critical decision about the future of Grove Field Airport.

“We’re excited that we have finally reached the point where research and opportunity are at an
intersection making it the ideal time to make a decision about the funding, maintenance and safe operation of the airport in the years ahead,” said David Ripp, port executive director. We have learned a lot since we began this process in 2005 and it’s fulfilling to ultimately see the culmination of our research efforts.”
Previously, commissioners voted on the preferred alternative at the August 17 port commission
meeting that included the relocation of Delp Road and shifting, widening and extending the runway. The
upcoming November 2 meeting will include a presentation by WHPacific that will provide a description of the findings of the draft environmental assessment submitted by the port to the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA). The FAA’s environmental finding, based on the information in the Environmental Assessment is a
critical step toward federal funding of airport safety improvements.

In addition to discussing the Environmental Assessment, the commission will discuss the issue of
becoming an “obligated airport” by accepting FAA funding for the proposed improvements. Grove Field is
designated an “essential public facility” by the State, County and Federal Government. In order to ensure
minimum safety standards as required by the FAA, the port has undertaken the process of identifying and evaluating the improvements needed to achieve minimum federal safety standards. The application and subsequent approval for state and federal funding would pay for 97.5 percent of the costs to meet the required minimum FAA safety standards such as runway length and width as well as separation with the parallel taxiway. In return for the federal monies available, the port is obligated to keep Grove Field an airport for 20 years, or refund the money. The proposed airport improvements make no changes to the type of small aircraft currently using or forecasted to use Grove Field.

 For more information about this project, please visit the port’s blog at
http://blog.portcw.com and contribute your ideas and dialogue with port staff.