Good Evening All,
With the number Meadow Lake projects in progress or planned, we thought it would be good to provide an update to keep our membership informed and prepare for the Annual Membership Meeting. The Board has also asked me to provide a reminder that Annual Assessments (Dues) are due by April 30th. To date, we’ve only received about 1/3 of the dues assessed this year. Similar to corporate stockholder meetings, eligibility to vote at the May 9th Annual Meeting is based on members in good standing (dues paid) as of a date of record (April 30th).
Attached is the notice, agenda, and voting issue for the Annual Meeting. We will present the voting topic to those present and answer questions before we vote.
The following is a recap of what we have accomplished and projects you should see in the coming months. We will provide a recap of these projects at the Annual Membership Meeting on Tuesday, May 9th and will be happy to provide additional information and answer any questions.
First Quarter 2023 Update
- Rudy Welch GA Terminal / KFLY Transient Ramp: (MLAA funds)
- Fencing. A 6 foot chain link along Judge Orr Road from the runway fence to the Red Barn has been erected, and a 4 foot fence has been installed around the expanded vehicle parking lot at the FBO/GA terminal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . complete
- Parking lot. The “land side” vehicle parking lot has been expanded to accommodate the significant increase in traffic and left over asphalt millings from the 2019 runway project will be spread this spring. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . in progress
- Transient Ramp. Reconstruction is currently planned (with FAA/CDOT grants) for two phases (2024 & 2026). 2024 is also our regular scheduled runway maintenance. . . future
- New well. The current well is in the vault adjacent to the run-up area for Runway 15. We are planning to relocate that well with the Ramp Reconstruction, but it is showing signs of deterioration (50+ yrs) and may need to be redrilled sooner than planned. . . . . . . future
- Runway End Identifier Lights (REILs): (FAA/CDOT grants) The system has been installed and is operational with the runway lights. Intensity is controlled with the PCL. Our thanks to Jviation and Electrical Excellence for this upgrade. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . complete
- Instrument Approaches Procedures (IAPs): (FAA grant) Design of the GPS approaches and Obstacle Departure Procedure has been completed and flight checked. The draft proposals can be viewed at the FAA Instrument Approach Gateway. Publication is scheduled for June 15th. MLAA & COS Approach Control will be conducting several information seminars through-out May and June to acquaint local pilots with the new procedures. . . . . . in progress
As part of the IAP publication, the turf runway will be redesignated 16G-34G (per FAA request). And as Laramie, WY receive their new LED runway system later this summer, we will acquire their old fixtures and replace our runway lights with yellow “caution zone” lighting for the last 2,000 feet of each runway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . future
- Snow Removal Equipment (SRE): (FAA/CDOT grants) Jviation has designed and is managing construction of our new SRE maintenance and storage building on the west side. Hammers Construction was selected to construct the building. Construction will start soon. in progress
- Meadow Lake Activities Hangar: With construction of the new SRE building, MLAA will no longer need to use the old Hangar/Restaurant facility for storage of our plows, and EAA Chapter 72 needs a location their new Red Bird simulator. Therefore, the Board will be drafting a lease agreement with the EAA chapter for them to assume responsibility for operations and maintenance of the building and scheduling activities. . . . . . . . in progress
- Special Events / Overflow Transient Ramp: (FAA/CDOT grants) Expansion/completion of the west-side ramp is planned for 2028 (or 2030). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . future
- Ground Support Equipment (GSE) Storage: (MLAA funds) The steel frame of an old dairy pole barn was purchased in 2021, with the intent to erect it as a storage barn for our support equipment. We have 21 vehicles and misc equipment now. The Board is planning to erect this structure (with membership assistance) after the SRE construction is complete. . . future
- Meadow Lake Soaring Center: Ground leases are being developed for lessees to construct permanent facilities for glider/soaring operations off the Turf Runway. . . . . . . . . . . in progress
- Falcon AeroLab (SOAR Foundation): plans are being developed to construct an “Aviation Center of Excellence” STEM high school for their rapidly expanding youth aviation program (powered, unpowered, aircraft maintenance, UAS, cyber)
- High Flights Soaring Club: developing plans for a storage and maintenance facility for their club aircraft (gliders & tow plane)
- Soaring Eagle Foundation:
- Runway 15-33 North-end Runway Protection Zone (RPZ): (FAA grant) We are working with McDonald Paving (the new KOA campground) to split off the 5-acres at the north end of the runway (between Judge Orr & Rt 24). The Board of Directors has approved a “Letter of Intent” to express our desire to purchase this property. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pending
- Rt 24/Judge Orr Road intersection: CDOT has indicated that they will soon be awarding a contract the design of widening Route 24, to include a redesign of the Judge Orr Road intersection and the roads leading up to it. 2023 might also include land acquisition for construction in 2024. We will be working with the design team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pending
- Old Red Barn: The Board of Directors has approved a “Letter of Intent” to the owners of the “the old Red Barn” property to express that the MLAA desire to purchase the property. Our intent is to use the modular office structure for Airport/Association administration and the barn as a vehicle/equipment maintenance facility. The lot could also be a possible location for the GSE storage shed. There will be a Special Meeting of the MLAA to discuss and vote on a proposal when a satisfactory agreement is negotiated. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . pending
- Cessna Drive Gate:. The driver that destroyed the Cessna Drive access gate pled guilty to careless driving on Dec 30th and agreed to pay full restitution ($46,148). We’ll see? The new gate has arrived and has been installed. We’re working out some bugs now. . . . . . in progress
- El Paso County coordination:
- 1041: We received our 1041 Permit on Feb 14 and are now updating the County GIS data base with our current Part 77 airspace surfaces (per C.R.S. 43-10-113). The FAA grant for acquisition of the runway RPZ will also be used to update our Airport Layout Plan, which will be submitted to the County for use in the planning nearby developments. in progress
- Meadow Lake Industrial Park: We are not aware of any additional developments since the BoCC determination that heavy as well as light industrial zoning was acceptable on the SE side of the airport. We will keep all informed when appropriate support is needed.
- MLAA “Planner of Record” and “Engineer of Record”: At the January Board of Directors meeting we chose Armstrong Consulting to be our Planner and Engineer of Record for the next five years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . complete