Playground equipment at Little Trout Lake Park in K.I. Sawyer is pictured. The Marquette County Board of Commissioners will consider adding more playground equipment, a parking lot, pit toilet and disc golf course at Little Trout Lake Park, a county-owned and operated park in K.I. Sawyer, as local organizations have approached the county with an offer to fund and construct the facilities. (Journal photo by Cecilia Brown)

MARQUETTE — A number of action items concerning K.I. Sawyer and Sawyer International Airport are on the agenda for the upcoming Marquette County Board of Commissioners meeting, which will be held at 6 p.m. Wednesday instead of Tuesday in room 231 of the Henry A. Skewis Annex in Marquette, due to Tuesday’s primary election.

One action item slated for board consideration is the addition of playground equipment, a parking lot, pit toilet and Frisbee golf course at Little Trout Lake Park, a county-owned and operated park in K.I. Sawyer, as organizations have approached the county with an offer to fund and construct the facilities.

According to board documents, the playground equipment, the parking lot, toilet and the first few holes of a Frisbee golf course would be constructed and funded by the Gwinn Lions Club, with the remainder of the Frisbee golf course funded, installed and maintained by local organizations Disc Da U.P. and Club (906) Disc.

The county would be responsible for “limited maintenance of the area” but “does not have to apply or administer the grant and construction,” or provide matching funds, states a letter from Sawyer Director of Operations Steve Schenden.

Staff recommendation is for the county to approve the Lions, Disc Da U.P. and Club (906) Disc to construct their respective portions of the project, according to board documents.

“The projects would require minimal maintenance from the County, improve the property and would be easy and inexpensive to remove if they were abandoned,” Schenden’s letter states. “All agree this is a good plan and a good thing for K.I. Sawyer and surrounding communities.”

The board will also consider a request from Sawyer International Airport staff to approve a lease for a used multi-function runway snowplow and broom combination, with an option to purchase the equipment.

The multi-function runway snowplow and broom combination would be “effective for preventing and removing ice, reducing runway closures and canceled flights,” states a letter from Schenden and Sawyer International Airport Manager Duane DuRay.

While the airport plans to acquire new equipment with Federal Aviation Administration grants in coming years, “staff believes leasing this equipment now is important to provide a safe and reliable airport for the community in the 2018/2019 winter,” the letter states.

According to board documents, the equipment could be purchased for $218,350 or leased for $27,293.75 annually from Macqueen Equipment of Minneapolis, which an independent appraiser has confirmed is a fair price. Funding would come from the 2018 Airport Capital Outlay Fund.

Airport staff has also requested authorization to start repairs on the concrete terminal apron on the south side of the commercial terminal building, as it has “been moving and causing issues with the commercial terminal building and the apron surface on the south side of the building” for several years, a letter from DuRay states.

The repairs will be funded by an FAA Airport Improvement Program grant expected to be awarded in early September, but staff has requested that the board authorize pre-funding for the project out of the Airport Stabilization Fund, which would be reimbursed when grant funds were received.

According to board documents, airport staff are requesting pre-funding in advance of receiving grant funds because they believe it’s important to begin repairs as soon as possible.

“This movement (of the apron) has caused excessive stress on the commercial terminal building and surrounding pavement,” DuRay’s letter states. “Furthermore, with the high temperatures over the past month the extent of the damage has greatly expanded.”

The board will also consider award of the contracts for construction administration and repairs for the concrete apron repair project.

Airport staff has also requested the board pre-approve the Airport Improvement Program grant from the FAA and authorize county board chairman Gerald Corkin, civil council and the county clerk to execute all of the grant documents when they arrive, as “once the grant is awarded, the FAA provides a very limited amount of time to acquire the necessary approvals and signatures,” according to board documents.

They have also requested the board pass FAA and Michigan Department of Transportation resolutions for the grant and authorize the aforementioned parties to sign all documentation when the FAA grant is received.

The grant will fund all costs associated the concrete apron repairs on the south side of the commercial terminal building for a total of $137,042, with a $123,338 federal share, a $6,852 state share and a $6,852 local share. The grant will also fund the purchase of a new high-speed runway snow broom in the amount of $614,295.

Cecilia Brown can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 248. Her email address is cbrown@miningjournal.net.