Council Agrees To Add Another Airport Hangar

OCEAN CITY - The Ocean City Municipal Airport will be seeing the addition of another airport hanger after a six to one vote by the City Council in favor of the project.

Public Works Director Hal Adkins, was given permission in March of this year to move forward with the bidding of the 'box-style' aircraft hanger. He came before the Mayor and Council again at a work session last Tuesday to seek approval to continue with the project through a contract with John Salm Engineering, Inc.

'This is the larger hanger for some of our larger aircraft,' Adkins said as he described the proposed aircraft hanger.

The hanger will be a four- to five-unit, 'box-style' hanger. Adkins said that although a four-unit structure would be feasible, he would prefer a five-unit structure if it would fit.

Adkins explained that the technical requirements of the Worcester County Department of Planning makes it impossible to proceed without outside technical assistance.  The Worcester County Department of Planning requires items such as site plan approval, storm water management design and critical areas review. As a result, Adkins recommended that the city utilize John Salm Engineering for the project, which had been employed previously for a proposed corporate hanger.

Adkins requested that he receive permission to proceed with the contract with John Salm Engineering for the amount of $10,850.

According to Adkins, the airport budget for the fiscal year 2008 does not include the funding for this effort, but that funding could be redirected. Adkins said $15,000 had originally been budgeted for the construction of a long-term parking fencing enclosure. Adkins noted that it would be more beneficial to reallocate the funding.

'With a current waiting list of seven tenants for this structure, it is far more important for the airport to pursue design/bidding/construction of this structure than to complete the fence installation, at this time,' Adkins said in a letter to the Mayor and Council. Adkins also added that it was an ideal time for bidding and borrowing.

The council voted six in favor with Councilwoman Margaret Pillas in opposition, to approve the contract for $10,850 and to approve the reallocation of funds.