Arens Field Airport In Need Of Runway Maintenance

Pulaski County Commissioners Tracey Shorter, Kenneth Boswell, Michael Tiede

Jim McDaniels of the Arens Field Airport told the commissioners this week that the runway is in need of maintenance. He says that Broken Arrow usually performs the work but when McDaniels asked for an estimate, he says the cost was extremely high. He approached the commissioners in search of a solution.

One recommendation was to have the county highway department rent a piece of equipment called an asphalt tar kettle, which is used to resurface roads and runways. Unfortunately, the question remains: who’s going to pay for it?

The commissioners recommended using County Economic Development Income Tax funds to pay for the runway repair, and McDaniels said he will speak with Pulaski County Community Development Commission Executive Director Nathan Origer to see if using those funds is an option.

McDaniels stressed the fact that he does not want to wait until winter to have the runway repaired, because further damage could occur, worsening the problem.