JUB Engineering aviation planner Neal Fraser gave a presentation on input from runway users, information on the planes going in and out of the airport and proposed a design that would rescind the idea of a runway extension.

“There are some users out there whose general feeling and sentiment is that they don’t want things to change. They want it to stay the small town airstrip that it always has been. But the reality is, it’s a public use airport,” Fraser said. “We can’t keep people from using the airspace and the runway. … Our job is to make sure that the airport is safe and has all the amenities that they need to make it the best place possible for aviators and aircraft owners.”

The proposed design would instead add just 70 feet to the runway on the north side and reinforce the runway for heavier airplanes, which need the extra space to take off. These planes often prefer using the Provo Airport, which opened an expanded and renovated terminal in 2022 has a larger runway and accommodates daily commercial and private flights.

The land to the north of the Spanish Fork airport privately owned and would have to be purchased by the city for an expansion. While the Federal Aviation Administration would pay for most of the runway renovations, the council voted unanimously to adopt the 2023 plan by JUB and eliminate the 2011 runway extension.

Daily Herald file photo

“We don’t need to preserve something or limit development on someone’s personal property. Because there’s an alternative just five miles away,” councilman Shane Marshall said, referencing the Provo airport.

According to the presentation, 237 aircraft were based in Spanish Fork in 2022. With an annual growth rate of 5%, this could increase to 458 planes by 2041. Due to the large number of planes going in and out of the airport, there is currently no tie down space for aircrafts at the airport.

Annual operations at the Spanish Fork Airport — the number of take offs and landings — in 2021 amounted to 43,005; by 2041, that number could more than double, potentially reaching 102,129. The airport has already seen 22,193 operations in the first four months of 2023.

The city council also approved the Spanish Fork city administration’s choice to award the contract for the new Spanish Fork Rec Center to Westland Construction, which was presented by Seth Perrins, city manager.

Westland’s bid was almost $4 million less than the next highest bid. Westland has built several buildings for the city, including the newly-opened Library Hall.

“I have the opportunity to review all three of these and I don’t think we could have gone wrong. All three of them are more than capable of delivering it on time and in a high quality product. But you just can’t walk away from almost four million dollars,” Marshall said.

The Spanish Fork Rec Center is expected to be complete by spring 2025.