ASPEN, COLO. (Oct. 21, 2022) The Airport Advisory Board, at its October 20 meeting, weighed in on a plan to implement the Common Ground Recommendations from the community-driven ASE Vision process. The Recommendations were adopted by the Pitkin County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) in 2020.
The process for developing a new terminal kicked off with the board voting to approve a design and construction delivery method. To most effectively reflect the community’s recommendations, they selected a Construction Manager At-Risk (CMAR) method, which provides more control over design and budget by integrating the planning and construction teams early in the process.
Implementing the Common Ground Recommendations prioritizes safety and noise and emission reductions. The first step to realize the community’s vision is to update the Airport Layout Plan (ALP). This process will involve presenting the county’s plan for near-term and longer-term improvements to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for approval.
The planned near-term initiatives include the new terminal, a new and relocated air traffic control tower and a request for proposal process for the fixed base operator (FBO). The longer-term improvements include updates to the airfield geometry that would, among other things, significantly improve safety by creating more space between the taxiway and runway. In sum, these safety improvements would eliminate the airport’s existing “Modifications to Standard,” which are essentially the current operating exemptions that are grandfathered in by the FAA.
The next steps for the Airport Layout Plan update will be to present the planned near- and longer-term improvements to the FAA for approval, as well as beginning the process to develop preliminary forecasts for the anticipated future mix of aircraft that could potentially operate at the Aspen Pitkin County Airport.
Additionally, at its October 20 meeting, the Airport Advisory Board reviewed a draft of an updated policy to monitor airport emissions. The goal of the updated greenhouse gas policy is to establish a comprehensive and reliable baseline of emissions attributable to aviation and ground operations at the Aspen Pitkin County Airport (ASE). Upon review, the Airport Advisory Board decided to further refine the draft greenhouse gas policy before opening it up for public comment.
The next Airport Advisory Board meeting is scheduled for November 17. A public comment period is included at the beginning of the board’s meeting.
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