April 15, 2022
News Release--Airport Master Plan Project Update: Common Council to Consider Adopting Airport Master Plan at April 19 Meeting
On Tuesday, April 19, the Middleton Common Council will consider adopting a master plan for Middleton Municipal Airport, bringing to a close a planning process initiated in 2018. Resolution 2022-25, “Adoption of Airport Master Plan Report and Airport Layout Plan,” is being sponsored by Council Member Robert Burck, former chair of the Airport Master Plan Advisory Committee and member of the Airport Commission.
An Airport Layout Plan (ALP) is a scaled, graphical presentation of existing and potential future airport facilities and associated technical details to help ensure that any future development is consistent with airport design standards and safety requirements. Identifying projects on an ALP makes them potentially eligible for future funding assistance under the terms of the federal Airport and Airway Improvement Act. Adoption of the ALP does not mean that the City will proceed with any or all of the projects indicated therein.
Earlier this month, the City’s Airport Commission concluded that the ALP diagram prepared by the City’s aviation consultant (Mead & Hunt) is consistent with the direction provided by the Council in early February. After Mead & Hunt’s project team completes technical documentation in accordance with Federal guidelines, they will provide the ALP drawing set to the FAA for their review and approval. Thus, the City’s role in preparation of the master plan and ALP is now complete.
The ALP depicts the following potential facility improvements:
• An addition of up to 440 feet of pavement to the east-west runway (Runway 10/28) to improve the safety of current takeoffs and landings, which can be accomplished without expanding the airport footprint.
• Development of a 3,280 ft. paved north-south runway (Runway 2/20) with an east side parallel taxiway, with the runway protection zones fully located on airport property. This option would entail purchasing farmland at fair market value as well as the re-alignment of a portion of Schneider Road in the Town of Springfield.
• A hangar complex on the northeast side of the airport. While some hangars could be constructed on existing airport property, a larger complex would entail purchasing farmland at fair market value.
From the outset of the master planning process, the City’s aim has been to identify potential future facility improvements that would improve safety of aircraft operations, redirect some aircraft away from residential areas, and meet most general aviation needs of the city and nearby communities for the next 20 years without significantly changing the mix of small aircraft currently using the airport.
Resolution 2022-25 reiterates the Common Council’s commitment to hold public hearings before making decisions to proceed with any potential airport expansion project, and it recognizes that any decision to proceed with a federally- or state-funded project requires adoption of a formal petition to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation for airport improvement aid along with a detailed study and environmental analysis.
The resolution concludes with the Common Council extending its gratitude to Mead & Hunt, advisory committee members, and the public for their assistance in preparing the airport master plan report and airport layout plan.
The Common Council welcomes public comment at the beginning of each regularly scheduled meeting, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Extensive information about this project is available on the airport master plan project website at https://www.cityofmiddleton.us/AirportMasterPlan.
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7426 Hubbard Ave, Middleton, WI 53562
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