A tender for the work was issued Friday and closes Tuesday, Oct. 3.
This is big news for the aerospace industry in P.E.I., and something a lot of people locally have been lobbying for, said Shawn McCarvill, president of the Slemon Park Corporation.
“Summerside Airport is a very important economic asset for us in both the aerospace and the training business here at Slemon Park,” said McCarvill. “It’s been 40 years since it was last resurfaced, so it’s great to see it being done.”
The main Summerside Airport runway, designated 06-24, is 60 metres wide and 2,438 metres long. The airport actually has three runways, but only one is in use.
This tender calls for the repaving of the central 20 metres, running the entire length of 06-24.
The runway itself is made up of 10 inches of asphalt on top of a foot of concrete.
McCarvill said the project is expected to cost “under a million dollars” but didn’t want to get into specifics while the tender was still active.
In addition to securing more years of use for the runway, the repaving will provide a smoother landing for the larger aircraft that already visit the airport, such as the RCAF Hercules.
Subject to provincial funding approval, Slemon Park Corporation would like to do an additional repaving project in the near future, bringing the total area of rejuvenated runway to a 45-metre-wide section.
This would provide new opportunities for current Slemon Park customers and make the former base more attractive for new companies, said McCarvill.
But those are more long-term plans, he added. Right now, the corporation is focused on having the current tender fulfilled.
Summerside Mayor Bill Martin welcomed news.
“The province has been looking for the business case that would justify the investment in the runways, because it’s significant. It would appear as if they have finally found the business case to support the investment, and if that’s the case I’m thrilled,” said Martin.
The mayor added that even though Summerside Airport, and many of Slemon Park Corporation’s assets, are not technically inside the city’s boundary, development there is still good news for Summerside and surrounding communities.
Summerside Airport got its start after the closure of CFB Summerside in 1991. The base’s assets were taken over by a management corporation that was made up of private and public interests. An aerospace hub was developed there, which today employs hundreds of Islanders at a handful of companies.
The former air force base continued to develop, but over time some of its assets started to deteriorate due to lack investment.
In April of 2016, the provincial government announced it intended to buy out the private shareholders on the board. It said it was doing that so it could have greater leeway in securing infrastructure upgrades and preventing further deterioration of the assets held by Slemon Park Corporation.
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