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Ulysses Municipal Airport will soon have a new 10,000-gallon under-ground fuel tank, and Grant County won’t be out hundreds of thousands of dollars to make it happen. The Grant County Commission on April 1 approved bids from Hoidale to remove the current tank and innovative Fueling Solutions for construction costs. Including other various engineering costs, the total cost of the project is $634,730, but the bulk of that will be paid for by two grants from the Kansas Department of Transportation totaling $575,507.
The county’s share will be $59,223.
“We’re very excited that K-DOT came through and they came through so fast,” said Airport Board member Sheila Brown.
With the approval of the funds, work can begin soon.
Airport manager Steve Rice said the original plan was to move the refueling station further east.
“That’s going to cramp us on trying to get airplanes in and out to refuel,” Rice said, so plans were redrawn to move everything farther to the west to keep the refueling port where it currently is. “To keep it out of that east corner there so it is easier access. We’re already kind of tight the way it is.”
Of the cost, $410,020 is from innovative Fueling Solutions to place the new tank, which Commissioner Mark McGaughey said was a lot of money for a 10,000-gallon tank.
“A portion of that comes with the pumping unit and everything that goes along with it; the hose reels, all the safety equipment and everything with it,” Rice said, adding that it’s a self-contained unit that includes the off-load system to load fuel back into it, plus the new credit card machine. “It’s a pretty much complete unit by the time it’s all set up.
“It’s not just the tank, there’s a lot that comes along with it, too.”
The commission approved $87,700 to Lochner for engineering services, $47,709.25 to Hoidale for tank removal, and approved construction costs of $410,020 to Innovative Fueling Solutions for the 10,000-gallon A/V Gas Fuel System and submersible pump.
“Grant County is funding a very small portion of these projects,” said commissioner Darrin Figgins. “We’re fortunate to have the facilities we have.”
Rice said K-DOT is not known for coming back and re-awarding extra money to projects after they have already been done.
“We are very fortunate on that side of it, too,” Rice said.
In other business:
•Stanfield Roofing performed roof repairs on one of the hangars.
•Ed Neidert reported he was one of the pilots and aircraft who helped put out the grass fires that threatened Ulysses March 27.
•April 8-10, the Ulysses Airport will play host to the Kansas Aerial Applicators Association pattern test for agricultural aircraft.
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