Budget Memorandum

Yavapai County owns three general aviation public use airports located at Bagdad, Sedona and Seligman. Sedona Airport is operated and maintained by the Sedona Oak-Creek Airport Authority (SOCAA) through a lease agreement with Yavapai County. Bagdad and Seligman airports are operated and maintained by the Public Works Department.

The goal of the Airports Division of Public Works is to operate, maintain, improve the airport facilities, and adhere to Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) and Arizona Department of Transportation-Aeronautics' (ADOT) guidelines, regulations and airport safety standards.

Sedona and Bagdad Airports are included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) and eligible for FAA grant funding of capital improvement projects under the Airport Improvement Program. Airport improvement projects are identified, developed and prioritized in cooperation with the FAA and ADOT. Proposed capital improvements are formally submitted on five-year Airport Capital Improvement Plans (ACIP) that are updated annually. Projects listed on the ACIP are eligible for grant funding.

Capital improvement project grants at all County owned airports are applied for, issued to and accepted by Yavapai County. The County is obligated to provide matching funds for all grants as follows: For FAA grants, the FAA contribution is 91.06%, State (ADOT) match is 4.47% and County match is 4.47% of the total project cost. State grants also require a County match of 5% at Seligman and Bagdad and 10% at Sedona. As required in the airport lease with SOCAA, the County match obligation for grant funded projects at Sedona Airport is entirely paid for by SOCAA; no County funds involved. Although Seligman Airport capital improvement projects are not eligible for FAA grant funding, ADOT grant funding can be applied for with the required County match of 5%. All in all, the grant funding opportunities available to improvements at County airports are excellent as long as funding keeps getting programmed to the FAA and the ADOT Aeronautics Department.

Another source of funding for airport improvements is through the ADOT Airport Pavement Management System (APMS) which evaluates all of the airport pavements statewide to provide funding for maintenance and rehabilitation. This program is updated approximately every 3 years and utilizes the pavement condition index (PCI) to program available funds for airports statewide. The focus of this program is to maintain and preserve existing pavements through crack seals, seal coats and thin overlays. Under this program, ADOT funds 100% of all design and construction administration costs, with the County or SOCAA only required to pay a 10% match of the total construction costs.

Bagdad Airport:

In FY 21-22, ADOT Aeronautics awarded a grant for taxiway A2 reconstruction design work at Bagdad Airport in the amount of $20,000, with no matching funds required from the County. This project will design the reconstruction of approximately 3,260 square feet of asphalt pavement for Connector Taxiway A2 which provides access to an existing apron and hangar. The existing asphalt is deteriorated beyond rehabilitation with a PCI value of 28 (out of 100), requiring full reconstruction.

In FY 21-22, the FAA awarded a grant for Bagdad Airport under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in the amount of $22,000 for reimbursement of operational and maintenance expenses, in response to revenues lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. No matching funds are required from the County for this grant.

Also in FY 21-22, the design work for a multi-year project at Bagdad Airport, funded by the FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) was completed. Preparation for the construction phase is underway, with an AIP grant expected from the FAA in late FY 21-22 or early FY 22-23, as discussed in the Exhibit 3 section below in more detail.

Additional projects planned at Bagdad Airport during FY 22-23 include Taxiway A2 Reconstruction and Security Fence Improvements. All planned projects are discussed in the Exhibit 3 Program Changes section below in more detail.

Seligman Airport:

In FY 21-22, ADOT awarded a grant for Apron A Crack Seal & Seal Coat design work at Seligman Airport in the amount of $40,000, with no matching funds required from the County. This project will design the rehabilitation of approximately 81,100 square feet of asphalt pavement for the aircraft parking apron. The existing asphalt is deteriorated with a PCI of 38, and the intent of this project is to provide a design to rehabilitate the surface of the asphalt pavement to address the Foreign Object Debris (FOD) issues, as well as to meet the anticipated limited funds available for future construction.

Projects planned at Seligman Airport during FY 22-23 include Land Acquisition Reimbursement, Fence Relocation, Apron A Rehabilitation, and projects funded through ADOT APMS. All projects are discussed in the Exhibit 3 section below in more detail.

Sedona Airport:

The Public Works Department works with the FAA, our airport engineering and planning consultants, and the Sedona Oak-Creek Airport Authority (SOCAA) to develop and prioritize capital improvement projects in conjunction with oversight by the Yavapai County Board of Supervisors. The Airport Manager, Ed Rose, is employed by SOCAA and is the primary liaison between SOCAA and the Yavapai County Public Works Department.

In FY 21-22, the FAA awarded a grant for Sedona Airport under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) in the amount of $32,000 for reimbursement of operational and maintenance expenses, in response to revenues lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. No matching funds are required from the County or SOCAA for this grant.

In FY 21-22, the FAA awarded an AIP planning grant for a Focused Planning Study on preliminary engineering and environmental considerations for proposed Runway Safety Area (RSA) improvements and the extension of Taxiway A at Sedona Airport. The project also will contain a public outreach component to vet public input on the proposed project. Since the airport shares common borders with the United States Forest Service (USFS) – Coconino National Forest, and the project may potentially involve land exchanges between Coconino National Forest and Yavapai County, interagency coordination between the County, USFS, and the FAA is also included. The grant award amount for the Focused Planning Study is $498,776, funded by the FAA at 100% reimbursement, meaning no County or SOCAA funds are required.

Planned at Sedona Airport during FY 22-23 is a project for the State's Airport Pavement Preservation Program, in which ADOT selected Sedona Airport for pavement maintenance work based on its PCI rating during FY 21-22. The project consists of a P-608 Application of asphalt surface treatment and Pavement Markings of Runway 3-21, plus a 1-inch Mill and 1-inch AC Overlay and Pavement Markings of Taxiway A. The total construction cost is estimated at $814,504, of which 90% is covered by ADOT's Pavement Preservation Program. SOCAA is responsible for a 10% share of the construction cost, or $81,450. An offer letter from ADOT was signed by Yavapai County in January 2022, and a grant from ADOT APMS for the construction cost is anticipated in late FY 21-22 or early FY 22-23.

Program Changes for FY 22-23:

Several program changes are being submitted for improvements at the Bagdad and Seligman Airports. All requested Exhibit 3s are for matching funds, required to receive grant funds through the FAA or ADOT for planned improvements at these facilities. Details for these new Exhibit 3s are discussed below. At this time, these proposed program changes are based on our “best guess” as to what funding may come through the grant pipeline during FY 22-23, but if things change mid-year or if additional funding from the Federal or State government becomes available, Public Works will approach the Board with individual projects for consideration.

The first Exhibit 3 at Bagdad Airport for FY 22-23 is a carryover request for Runway 5-23 Line-of-Sight Correction, Taxiway Turnarounds and RSA Grading Improvements, funded by FAA AIP. This project will include reconstruction of a portion of Runway 5‐23 to meet FAA standards for line‐of‐sight and longitudinal gradient, as well as the construction of two new taxiway turnarounds at the ends of Runway 5‐23 and RSA grading improvements. This was approved in FY 20-21 budget approval for $103,257 matching funds from Yavapai County. The costs have been revisited recently, with costs increasing as of late, and now the total estimated cost of the construction phase is $3,294,531. FAA will fund $3,000,000 (91.06%), ADOT will fund $147,265 (4.47%) and Yavapai County will fund the remaining $147,265 (4.47%). While the investment made by the County is significant, over 95% of the work is funded by state or federal grant dollars if we are willing to provide the local match.

The second Exhibit 3 request at Bagdad Airport is the construction phase of the Taxiway A2 Reconstruction. This project will reconstruct approximately 3,260 square feet of asphalt pavement for Connector Taxiway A2 which provides access to an existing apron and hangar. The existing asphalt is deteriorated beyond rehabilitation with a PCI value of 28 requiring full reconstruction. The estimated project cost is $200,000. The FAA will fund $182,120 (91.06%), ADOT will match $8,940 (4.47%) and the County will match $8,940 (4.47%).

The third and final Exhibit 3 request at Bagdad Airport is a carryover request for the construction phase of Security Fence Improvements. This project will reconstruct approximately 400 linear feet of additional security fence as well as one new vehicle gate and one new pedestrian gate. This was approved in FY 21-22 budget approval for $5,588 matching funds from Yavapai County, as we were anticipating an accelerated construction schedule from the FAA and ADOT, but the project funding was subsequently delayed. This important security project will separate the vehicle parking area from the active air operations area. The total cost of this project is estimated at $125,000. The FAA grant will fund $113,825 (91.06%), ADOT will match $5,588 (4.47%) and the County will match $5,588 (4.47%). This has been approved by the Board in prior budget review but Public Works wants to be clear about this anticipated need that will hopefully align with grant funding in the upcoming fiscal year. Other similar carryover requests are mentioned below.

The first Exhibit 3 request at Seligman Airport is a carryover request for Land Acquisition Reimbursement of approximately 7.2 acres of property adjacent to the airport runway. This land acquisition will allow for improvements that are needed to bring the airport into compliance with clear airspace related to the airport runway. The estimated cost of the land acquisition is $30,000. This was approved in FY 21-22 budget approval for $1,250 matching funds from Yavapai County but the project has been delayed for some time. ADOT will fund $28,500 (95%) and the County will match $1,500 (5%). If costs come in less, match funding would be reduced as well.

The second Exhibit 3 request at Seligman Airport is a carryover request for the design phase of Fence Relocation (Obstruction Removal), which will relocate approximately 3,000 feet of existing airport perimeter fence, following the acquisition of the adjacent parcel. This was approved in FY 21-22 budget approval for $1,250 matching funds from Yavapai County. The design work is still estimated at $25,000. ADOT will fund $23,750 (95%) and the County will match $1,250 (5%). The construction phase would tentatively come in a future budget year.

The third Exhibit 3 request at Seligman Airport is Construction Phase 1 of the Apron A Crack Seal & Seal Coat Project, which will rehabilitate approximately 81,100 square feet of asphalt pavement for the aircraft parking apron. The cost for Construction Phase 1 is estimated at $105,263. ADOT will fund $100,000 (95%) and the County will match $5,263 (5%).

There are no Exhibit 3 requests associated with the Sedona Airport, as SOCAA typically covers the matching funds for capital improvement grants, as previously outlined.