SANDPOINT — The Bonner County Airport Advisory Board, in a meeting Monday, discussed plans for moving forward after county commissioners signed four FAA grant applications during a meeting last Tuesday.

On Jan. 21, airports manager Dave Schuck presented the applications to the county commissioners for approval. The grants would fund one project at Priest River Airport and two at Sandpoint Airport.  

The grant applicable to the Priest River Airport would fund phase two of the Airport Layout Plan — a 20-year plan that identifies hazards to make the airport safer and more accessible.  

“This grant will fund the phase of the final airport layout, plan and narrative, and will include project grant administration, facility requirements and alternatives,” Schuck said. “Updating the ALP will identify nonstandard conditions and pursue solutions to create a safer airport for the flying public.” 

The other three grants would be used for Sandpoint Airport to fund the removal of obstructions to the approaches and areas inside the runway protection zones and support land and easement acquisition.  

Securing a grant for land and easement acquisition would allow Sandpoint Airport to acquire the land at the end of each runway so that it can be properly maintained in accordance with airport safety standards.  

“We attempt to acquire navigation easements. A navigation easement is essentially an imaginary ceiling over the land that it covers, and it allows us to control what happens above that imaginary surface, that imaginary ceiling,” Schuck said. “For instance, if someone had trees that were growing up in that space, we would acquire the right to remove those trees. It prevents people from putting all buildings, apartment buildings or cell towers or ham radio antennas, that sort of thing, in those areas where the safety standards require that airspace to be clear.” 

Commissioners moved to sign all grant applications; the signed grant applications have been sent to engineer services and forwarded to the FAA.