Upgrade has life of 30 years, changes from asphalt to concrete

By Kyle Troutman [email protected]

The Cassville Municipal Airport is set to undergo a runway replacement aimed at addressing long-term infrastructure needs while positioning the facility for future growth.

“The project is a runway replacement project, and it will also include the approaches on the east and west ends that are needed for planes after they land or get ready to take off,” said Richard Asbill, Cassville city administrator.

The existing asphalt runway has reached the end of its usable life, according to Asbill, despite years of maintenance.

“The long and short is we have an asphalt runway,” Asbill said. “It has served the city well; however, it is in need of a lot of major repairs.”

Asbill said asphalt runways naturally deteriorate over time and eventually require full replacement.

“Black asphalt cracks, and we’ve filled those cracks and maintained it,” he said. “But it has reached the end of life for an airport runway.”

Because the airport is a municipal facility regulated by the Federal Aviation Administration through the Missouri Department of Transportation, inspections and compliance requirements limit renovation options. The project includes removing the asphalt surface entirely and replacing it with concrete, a move Asbill believes will reduce long-term maintenance costs and support future expansion.

“The bid was for the complete tear out and replacement of the asphalt runway with a concrete runway,” Asbill said. “We really wanted to move forward with concrete strictly for maintenance and longevity.”

Concrete also provides flexibility for runway extensions in the coming years.

“We would like to in the future extend the runway,” he said. “More on the east end than the west end, but it would require a little extension on the west.”

The project also includes new runway lighting and navigational aids.

“The runway will also include the lights on the approach, both ends, side, and a beacon light that actually gets replaced,” Asbill said. “It will make our airport more attractive to tourism traffic.”

Asbill said the airport’s status as a public municipal facility allows Cassville to access state and federal funding.

“It is a city municipal airport, which allows us access to certain state and federal funds,” he said. “You work with your airport master plan and look at a specific need.”

The runway replacement was made possible by rolling over federal allocations across multiple years with approval from FAA and MoDOT.

“When we’ve been able to combine those funds for several years, it’s given us more funds toward a larger project,” Asbill said. “You just don’t go and replace a runway at a small cost. The total bid award is $5,143,937,, and our portion of that is $258,000.”

Emery Sapp & Sons was awarded the project as the low bidder. Two other companies submitted higher bids, and the winning bid closely matched the engineer’s estimate.Koss Construction bid $5,446,132.80, and RL Persons Construction bid $7,847,999.

“The engineering estimate on the project was $5,106,500,” he said. “Emery Sapp & Sons came pretty close to that.”

Asbill said Cassville’s airport plays a quiet but important role in the local economy.

“I think people forget that we have the airport,” he said. “It has been an economic piece for us. We do get a lot of recreational traffic from Kansas and Oklahoma that come in for the lake.”

Interest in hangar space has increased, particularly from pilots relocating from larger airports.

“Pilots are relocating from northwest Arkansas and Springfield who want a smaller airport more conducive to their budget,” Asbill said. 

The airport typically houses about 14-15 aircraft, with additional transient traffic during peak times. Asbill said competitive fuel prices also draw visiting pilots.

“That happens with airports,” he said. “We may be 10 or 15 cents cheaper than another place.”

Recent airport improvements also include a new terminal building handled in-house by the city.

“We just replaced the airport terminal last year,” Asbill said. “The old terminal was in the landing zone and was listed as a problematic structure.”

The new terminal has received positive feedback from pilots.

“So far it’s been reviewed very nice,” he said. “It’s heated and air conditioned, and we’ve gotten really good response.”

Asbill said the terminal provides basic amenities for pilots waiting out weather or planning their next leg.

“They can sit and work on a laptop, use the restroom, and weather here before they go on,” he said.

The airport also recently added a courtesy car, a feature Asbill said pilots value highly.

“We are very fortunate now that we do have a courtesy car,” he said. “I was very positively surprised about how many pilots look at that.”

Runway construction is expected to take place during the spring and summer months, though timing may vary depending on other Emery Sapp & Sons projects.

“We’re supposed to be in a construction window of April, May, June, July,” Asbill said. “But it could actually be May, June, July, August.”

Asbill said pilots and hangar tenants have been notified in advance to make alternate arrangements during the closure.

“We’ve tried to give everybody notice,” he said. “Some pilots will move their planes, and some will just not fly during that time.”

Looking ahead, Asbill said the runway project lays the groundwork for continued airport development.

“This gives us some life, gives us the opportunity to expand, and sets us up for future air traffic,” he said.