Allen County’s airport could become a hub for wildfire fighting.
An aerial firefighting crew based in Hutchinson wants to use the local airport as a place to refill their water tanks if there is a major wildfire in the area, Jason Trego, emergency management director, and Jonathon Goering, economic development director with Thrive Allen County, told county commissioners at their meeting Tuesday morning.
The large tanker planes need to be filled with water from a fire hydrant. Currently, the airport does not have such a hydrant, but it could be added as part of a series of planned infrastructure improvements.
Allen County’s airport is appealing to the group because of its runway length, Trego said. Other area airports don’t have long enough runways to accommodate such planes. That means the plane could refill in Allen County, but would be able to fight fires in other counties including Bourbon or Woodson.
“We have a unique opportunity to help not just Allen County, but our neighbors as well,” Trego said.
It’s the latest in a series of developments at the airport. In recent weeks, a crop duster based in Marion and director of an air museum in Topeka have asked the county to allow them to build hangars for their endeavors.
The airport has received multiple grants for airport improvements, including one for nearly $3 million announced Tuesday from the Kansas Department of Commerce for infrastructure. (See Saturday’s Register for more on that.)
Labor needs
Two department heads talked about recent efforts to fill open positions.
Chelsie Angleton, 911 director, told commissioners she’s been able to hire some new staff who are currently in training. She still needs three more employees but “we have zero applications.”
Because of that, administrators are having to spend time dispatching. She is currently training her deputy to fill in when she and Trego attend a conference in Nashville.
Public Works Director Mitch Garner said he also has hired three people recently, but could use another three or four employees.
Unlike Angleton, his department has received several applications.
He’ll be hiring for seasonal help, too.
ARPA update
Commissioner Bruce Symes told commissioners he would like to discuss the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) at next week’s meeting.
The county essentially has spent or earmarked about half of the $2.4 million allocated by the federal government for pandemic relief and recovery.
The government gave the county half of the money last year, and the remaining half is expected to be received around the end of May.
