City council has received more big-ticket items for Flin Flon’s airport, with the price tag being covered by the federal government and an infrastructure fund.
At their Dec. 7 meeting, city councillors approved two agreements to provide new equipment for Flin Flon Airport - one to provide a new grader for the facility, the other for a friction tester, a piece of equipment towed behind a vehicle to check how much friction or debris may be on a runway at any point.
The capital funds will be received from the federal government, much like previous investments in the airport from earlier this year. The City received around $438,000 for the new grader, with another $6,420 for the friction tester - while the government will cover initial costs, the City will have to pay for their upkeep. The purchase price includes covering expenses for shipping the items to Flin Flon, along with considerations for provincial sales tax. The agreement and payment paperwork covers almost 40 pages for funding the two new pieces of equipment.
“They will be a nice addition to the airport,” said Mayor Cal Huntley.
The City had previously received over $500,000 from the feds to aid and maintain services at the airport, including $110,000 to cover wages, $27,300 to improve the in-terminal seating and about $400,000 for a deicing truck, received through Western Economic Diversification Canada and the Regional Air Transportation Initiative.
The new spending approved for the airport is on top of the existing funding from earlier this year. The City has since put out a tender for the two new pieces of equipment, seeking a deal for the assigned dollar amounts.
“It will be the same as the usual process. We have a tender out and we’ll be looking for a certain price to ensure that it is 100 per cent covered,” said City treasurer Lyn Brown.
Council voted to formally incorporate the Flin Flon Airport into the boundaries of the City back in August, allowing the City to possibly develop some of the property it owns around the airport itself. The City owns land to the east and southeast of the airport, including some land near the Blondie’s Beach cabin subdivision.
