The Payette Airport could be getting a 500-foot runway extension this summer.
The runway is currently 3,000 feet long. The extension will add another 500 feet to its southern end.
The Payette Airport Commission has not received an official bid on project costs, though it has a couple estimates from T-O Engineers.
One option could cost $475,274 if the extension does not include a paved taxiway, which is a path for airplanes to drive on while others use the active runway. With the taxiway, the extension could cost $605,793.
The commission is hoping to get grant funds from the Idaho Division of Aeronautics, though it does not know how much that will cover yet. It will also approach Payette councilors to match some of those grant dollars.
This project has been in the works for the past 10 to 12 years, said chairman of the commission Frazer Peterson.
“This has been a long time coming,” he said.
The runway extension has been put on the back burner for some years as other projects took precedent, including getting a fuel pump. Peterson said he hopes to get funding so the extension construction could begin this summer.
Representatives from the state division visited the airport last month.
“They said our little airport is the premier small town airport in Idaho right now,” he said.
That is because it is in good condition and it offers plane fuel.
“We have people applying from all over to get fuel here,” he added.
Helicopter pilot Jennifer Meest, of Boise, said she lands in this airport for the fuel.
“I could either get it from Payette or Ontario,” she said.