Aviation Utah

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
Date: Friday, January 23, 2009
Contact: Marc Mortensen, Assistant to the City Manager, (435) 703‐0953
ST. GEORGE REPLACEMENT AIRPORT STILL ON TARGET FOR NOVEMBER 2010 OPENING

St. George, UT. ‐ After weeks of delays due to exceptionally heavy rainfall in December, construction on the St. George Replacement Airport is back on schedule. On any given day, from afar, a large plume of dust billows up into the azure southern Utah sky as blasting crews turn rocky hills into rubble while hundreds of large earth‐haulers work in unison like ants moving debris from one area to another. To date, excavation contractor, R.E. Monks Construction, has moved more than two‐million cubic yards of earth, half of the specified work as outlined in the first phase of construction. Instead of a hodgepodge of raw earth disturbances, the area is beginning to look like a long rectangular tabletop with runways and taxiways taking form. As grading and drainage work continues, contracts for the construction of infrastructure, off‐site roads and terminal building are expected to be secured sometime this spring.
The term “replacement airport” seems to have created concern for some area residents. Admittedly, the term is somewhat confusing if not used in its proper context. In this case, “replacement” is a technical term that is necessary to define the airport in order to receive federal funding and should not be considered synonymous with the word “replica.” In other words, while it is true that the replacement airport will replace the existing airport, that does not mean that one is similar to the other. The existing airport sits on 270 acres and has a 6,500 foot runway that cannot be expanded due to its mesa top location. However, the replacement airport will occupy 1,200 acres and have a 9,500 foot runway that can be expanded to 11,500 feet as local air service needs grow. The replacement airport will provide the property and types of facilities necessary for the future growth and development of southern Utah and neighboring communities.