Members of the Salina Airport Authority's board of directors tour ongoing construction projects. The board checked out improvements to Pump House 305, Hangar 606 renovations, North Ramp utility line construction and the construction site for the new state of the art aircraft rescue and firefighting station.

From the XD's desk: 

Construction project at the Salina Airport and Airport Industrial Center hit full stride

Salina Airport Fire Station construction is set to begin

Contract documents for the Salina Airport's new aircraft rescue and firefighting station have been signed and construction is set to begin by mid-October.

The Salina Airport's new 10,000-square-foot, $2.5 million fire station will serve aircraft owners and pilots for decades to come. Airport and City of Salina firefighters will operate from a state of the art facility and offer vastly improved fire service to airport users.

The new fire station would not be possible without the contributions of numerous firefighters who have supported both military and civilian aircraft operations since the airport's WWII days. Firefighters who have protected the airport over the years have worked out of less than ideal facilities. The new fire station will be at the best possible airport location for quick responses and provide firefighters with much needed training space.

Once completed the new Salina ARFF station will be dedicated to the efforts of the firefighters who have provided for the safe operation of aircraft at the Salina Airport, Smoky Hill Army Air Base and former Schilling AFB. There has been the presence of aircraft firefighters at the Salina Airport and its military base predecessors since 1942. Seventy years later a truly modern and efficient fire station will house today's firefighters who carry on the tradition of service to pilots and their passengers.

Circa 1940s hangar prepares for new century

As Hawker Beechcraft continues to pull out of their currently leased facilities, the Salina Airport Authority continues the growth and development of the Salina Airport Industrial Center through renovation and construction.

Hangar 606 is a circa 1940s hangar recently vacated by Hawker Beechcraft that will undergo a $2.5 million remodel. 

"We're making it a brand new interior," said Kenny Bieker, manager of facilities and construction. "We're keeping the exterior appearance close to its original 1940s look."

This remodel will not only restore much of the hangar's historical value, it will update the 50,000 square-foot-hangar and make it more marketable to maintenance repair and overhaul companies and special military aircraft.

"The third possibility is a forward operating location for visiting military units," he said.

Medina Construction has already begun remodel and will continue though the early part of 2012.

PAPI installed on Runway 35

A new precision approach path indicator is currently being installed at the approach end of Runway 35.

The ground work for the PAPIs has been completed and the PAPIs themselves are waiting to be installed then flight checked by the Federal Flight Services before being commissioned.

They are expected to be commissioned by the end of October.

Utility construction underway at SLN

The City of Salina is well underway with the installation of new water mains, sewer lines and fire protection water lines.

This $3.8 million project supports current Airport and Airport Industrial Center businesses and our future growth. The utility line improvements can support the future construction of more than 750,000 square feet of new hangar space at the SLN Aviation Service Center.

"They are right on schedule," said Kenny Bieker, manager of facilities and construction.  "We are removing pavement to open the way for the installation of waterlines and sewer lines and a new fire main."

With these improvements, existing facilities will have a better supply of water to meet fire protection demands.  It will also make way for expansion of the Salina Aviation Service Center.

"It will open the way for any large tenant that would like to come in and build," he said.

In partnership with the City of Salina, the Salina Airport Authority paid for the design and the City funded the construction.  

The zombies are coming!  Are you prepared?

Envision this: Hordes of walking corpses roaming the landscape with only one goal - to kill and devour the living.

It is, of course, a nightmare scenario straight out of a Hollywood movie, but what if it were real? Would you be prepared?

With tongue firmly planted in cheek, that is the question posed by the Kansas Division of Emergency Management during October's Zombie Preparedness Month, part of a national campaign to encourage the public to take an all-hazards approach to preparing themselves for tornadoes, floods, fires, hurricanes, terrorist attacks and other disasters - including zombie attacks.

"If you are prepared for a zombie attack, you are prepared for anything," said Devan Tucking-Strickler, KDEM Human Services officer. "No matter what the disaster, the preparations are the same: make an emergency kit that will allow you and your family to survive for a minimum of three days until help can arrive, devise a home emergency plan and practice it so that everyone knows what to do if a disaster strikes - even zombies

Read on...