Youngstown-Warren airport to purchase snow vehicles

VIENNA -- Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport plans to replace snow removal equipment this year with funds provided by the Federal Aviation Administration for capital improvements.
Bids are being sought for a new front end loader, dump truck and two new snowplow blades, said director of aviation Steve Bowser.
The equipment is used to clear snow on the airport's two runways -- each 150 feet wide -- and aprons.
FAA regulations require removal whenever there is an accumulation of a half-inch of slush or one inch of snow, he said.
Each sweep of the airport puts 87 miles on the plows, Bowser said.
The snow removal equipment the airport has now is getting old, with the front-end loader dating back to 1975, he said.
An FAA inspector put replacing the equipment at the top of a list of priorities, he said.
The new machinery is expected to require the lion's share of the airport's $1 million 2002 allotment from the FAA, he said.
With the rest of the money, the facility plans to commission a study of possible improvements to the perimeter security fence and a survey to make sure trees are not obstructing runways.