Recent History – 2000-2002
Sept. 15, 2000
DAWSON CREEK — Funding for $915,500 worth of safety improvement projects at the municipal airport was announced by the federal government Thursday.
Between $160,000 and $180,000 will be used to buy a new runway sweeper and the rest will be spent on installing a 10-foot tall wildlife fence with barbed wire on top around the perimeter of the airport.
Airport manager Ian Darling said the existing sweeper has passed its life expectancy, and that there is a concern with wildlife venturing onto airport property.
“We have a lot of deer that are in the valley, in the ravine, and they come up and feed off the grass,” he said.
The fencing project will employ three people over two months.
The airport is small enough to qualify for 100 per cent funding by the federal government for the projects, but Darling said he had to apply to Ottawa first.
The money comes from the Airports Capital Assistance Program (ACAP) which provides funding for capital projects related to safety, asset protection and reducing operating costs.
“ACAP is an example of the Government of Canada directing infrastructure resources to where they are needed and can best enhance safety,” said federal Transport Minister David Collenette in a news release.