Recent improvements at Allen County Airport have given the facility a fresh face and increasingly sophisticated technology for area pilots. And with newly installed water and sewer access, 75 acres of land for an industrial park are primed for economic development.
Within the last year, the airport has repainted its runway, replaced its airfield guidance signs, put in new runway and line-up lights, and installed an automated weather observing system, or AWOS, which provides real-time weather data 24 hours a day.
Construction of a Precision Approach Path Indicator lighting system, or PAPI, is also complete. These red and white lights, placed on the edges of the allow pilots to ensure their glide path is correct as they approach the runway.
The updates were made possible by two grants from the Federal Aviation Administration totaling $734,000 and a $153,000 grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation. The grants were obtained by Garver, an Arkansas-based engineering and consulting firm that works with the airport.
All this comes as water and sewer lines have been extended to the airport as part of a major project that could eventually encourage development of an industrial park. Four fire hydrants were also installed as part of the project, each located in strategic locations to allow planes and rural fire crews easy access. This work was completed by Nowak Construction for about $2.6 million, which the Allen County commission approved in May 2024.
That project was funded by a grant of nearly $3 million from the Kansas Department of Commerce as part of the Building a Stronger Economy (BASE) program. The funds for the BASE program came primarily from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), a federal fund designed to address economic development needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Airport manager Robert Poydack is proud to point out two things about the upgrades: the airport doesn’t just bring money into the county — it also provides critical services to area residents.
“During bad weather like we’ve been having, emergency medical flights can land planes like a Beechcraft King Air here when they simply can’t at Chanute or Garnett,” said Poydack. “And in the summer, we can accommodate up to 14 crop dusting planes at once. That’s a big area that helps farmers reduce their costs.”
The airport has one of the longest runways in southeast Kansas at 5,500 feet and 100-feet wide. A newly remodeled office, competitive fuel prices, and a strategic location close to two cities and a major highway all count in the airport’s favor. And it helps explain Poydack’s optimism that the county’s plans for an industrial park at the airport will bring fruit.
“There’s a lot of potential here,” said Poydack, as new hangars are constructed, air traffic and fuel sales hold steady, and water and sewer access go online.
ONE headache for Poydack, however, is a $664,500 grant from the Kansas Airport Improvement Program (KAIP) that has been frozen by the Trump administration. The grant was for the construction of an additional taxiway.
“The parallel taxiway will connect the taxiway and the runway. This will help so the pilots don’t have to taxi so far down, or go to the end, just to get off of the runway,” Poydack said, noting it would be more efficient for pilots in terms of time and fuel.
Ninety percent of funds for the KAIP come from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program, which was established in 1982. Funds for the AIP are drawn from the Airport and Airway Trust fund, which is supported by user fees, fuel taxes, and other similar revenue sources.
Poydack has received no guidance on what will happen next. The grant was awarded in March 2024, but Poydack acknowledges the current uncertainty.
“We may receive the money, we may not. I don’t know anything as of yet. We have received no communication,” said Poydack.
