Airport Authority looks to shore up apron at Arnold Palmer terminal

The Westmoreland County Airport Authority hopes to put plans for a new corporate hangar entrance at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport on hold to take care of a more pressing need — shoring up the airport runway apron.

Authority officials are seeking permission from PennDOT’s Bureau of Aviation to reallocate a $125,000 grant originally intended for design of the new entrance. That entrance has been proposed along Route 981, between the Unity airport’s old runway and a beacon opposite the Kennametal headquarters.

Instead, the authority wants to use the money toward installing concrete pads on the apron.

The pads would be similar to concrete recently installed at the end of the airport taxiway, where it meets the active runway. The concrete helps to reinforce paved surfaces that are under the weight of larger planes now used for flights at the airport. The pavement otherwise could become rutted when planes brake to a stop on the asphalt.

The authority this week also approved two change orders required for completing work on the airport’s new passenger loading bridge and holding area.

General contractor Arcon Contracting is to be paid an extra $34,472 for additional carpeting and electrical work. Contractor Darr Construction will receive payment of $1,643 for additional unit heaters. The change orders are subject to approval from the Bureau of Aviation and the Federal Aviation Administration.

The authority reported that a new bridge, which is longer and provides a more gradual angle of ascent than the airport’s older bridge, was used for the first time on Aug. 7 for a charter flight to Atlantic City.

The airport’s sole commercial carrier, Spirit Airlines, continues to use the older bridge, pending installation of computer equipment at the boarding gates, authority officials said.

The authority also awarded a $106,145 contract to Arcon to install a modular restroom in the T-hangar area of the authority’s Rostraver Airport.