The Western Reserve Port Authority has awarded a contract of $4,587,000 to Kirila Contractors of Brookfield to make improvements to the Midfield Taxiway at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.

By Ed Runyan | May 22, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

The project may have to be scaled back if a portion of the funding through the Federal Aviation Administration is not approved. Construction likely is to begin within the next two to three months.

Among the planned improvements are removal of pavement that “comes in at various angles that is confusing” and removal of a grade on a taxiway that reduces visibility across the airfield, said Dan Dickten, director of aviation at the airport.

The project also will include creation of a section of taxiway that provides a “turn” where planes can approach one of the runways. The turn will be eliminated if the additional funding is not approved.

All of the changes are intended to reduce “incursions,” which are the FAA’s term for situations that could cause aircraft to come too close to one another. The project also will improve drainage.

The airport will use three years’ worth of annual $1 million FAA “entitlement” funds, which the airport receives by virtue of having at least 10,000 commercial enplanments each year, meaning passengers getting onto an aircraft for a flight.

Additional funds to pay for the project will come from passenger facilities charges that the airport receives. PFCs are fees each airline passenger pays per ticket purchased.

In other business, the port authority approved a new 5-year lease with Mikeees II, the restaurant at the airport terminal.

Under the new agreement, the restaurant will pay 5 percent of revenue to the airport instead of the current 4 percent, and that percentage eventually will increase to 6 percent. The restaurant also will pay $245 per month rent to the airport. It currently pays nothing, Dickten said.

Mikeees II also operates the food court in the hold area, the area where passengers wait after going through security. Mikeees II, owned by Linda Stabile of Girard, also will take over the vending operations at the airport.