Appendix I Airport Layout Plan.pdf

AIRPORT LAYOUT PLAN (ALP)

REPORT

for Aztec Municipal Airport

Final Draft

Final Draft

Airport Layout Plan Report for

Aztec Municipal Airport

Prepared for: City of Aztec, New Mexico

Prepared by: Bohannan Huston, Inc.

in association with

WMRenier Consulting LLC

New Mexico DOT Aviation Division Grant No. N19-19-01

FINAL DRAFT -

i

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

I. INVENTORY ......................................................................................................................... I-1

Community Overview .................................................................................................................... I-1

Airport Overview ............................................................................................................................ I-1

Airport Ownership and Management ............................................................................................ I-2

Economic Impact ............................................................................................................................ I-3

Existing Facilities ............................................................................................................................ I-4

Airside Facilities ................................................................................................................ I-5

Landside ............................................................................................................................ I-7

Support Facilities ............................................................................................................... I-8

Airport Development History ......................................................................................................... I-9

Aviation Activity ............................................................................................................................. I-9

Environmental Conditions ........................................................................................................... I-11

II. AVIATION DEMAND FORECASTS .......................................................................................... II-1

National Aviation Trends .............................................................................................................. II-2

State Aviation Trends .................................................................................................................... II-5

Local Aviation Trends .................................................................................................................... II-6

Based Aircraft ................................................................................................................... II-6

Operations ....................................................................................................................... II-8

IFR Operation Records ..................................................................................................... II-9

Fuel Sales ......................................................................................................................... II-9

User Input ...................................................................................................................... II-10

Regional Demographic and Socioeconomic Characteristics ....................................................... II-11

Based Aircraft Forecast ............................................................................................................... II-13

Operations Forecast .................................................................................................................... II-14

Forecast Summary ...................................................................................................................... II-15 ii

Design Aircraft and Airport Reference Code .............................................................................. II-16

III. REQUIREMENTS ................................................................................................................. III-1

Planning Criteria and Guidance ................................................................................................... III-1

Airport Role ..................................................................................................................... III-1

Airport User and Stakeholder Input................................................................................ III-6

Design Standards ............................................................................................................ III-6

Facility Needs ............................................................................................................................... III-7

Airside Requirements...................................................................................................... III-7

Landside Requirements ................................................................................................ III-13

IV. DEVELOPMENT ALTERNATIVES .......................................................................................... IV-1

PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS ...................................................................................................... IV-1

IDENTIFICATION OF HANGAR DEVELOPMENT ALTERNATIVES .................................................... IV-2

Hangar Alternative 1 ....................................................................................................... IV-2

Hangar Alternative 2 ....................................................................................................... IV-2

Hangar Alternative 3 ....................................................................................................... IV-3

Hangar Alternative 4 ....................................................................................................... IV-3

COMPARATIVE REVIEW AND SELECTION OF PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE ..................................... IV-3

V. AIRPORT CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN ............................................................................. V-1

AIRPORT CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN (ACIP) .......................................................................... V-1

Short-Term (thru 2025) ................................................................................................... V-3

Intermediate-Term (2026-2030) ..................................................................................... V-4

Long-Term (2031-2040) .................................................................................................. V-5

CAPITAL FUNDING SOURCES ......................................................................................................... V-6

Federal ............................................................................................................................. V-7

State ................................................................................................................................. V-7

Local ................................................................................................................................. V-8

Third Party Financing ....................................................................................................... V-8 iii

List of Tables

Page

Table 1A. Aztec Municipal Airport Economic Impact (NMASP 2017) ........................................................ I-4

Table 1B. Summary of Facilities .................................................................................................................. I-9

Table 1C. Area Public Use Airports and Activity ....................................................................................... I-10

Table 1D. Summary of Environmental Conditions ................................................................................... I-12

Table 1E. San Juan County Threatened and Endangered Species ............................................................ I-13

Table 2A. Nationwide GA and Air Taxi Active Fleet and Hours Flown (2017) ............................................ II-2

Table 2B. Nationwide Historical and Forecast Single Engine Piston Fleet ................................................. II-3

Table 2C. Historical Based Aircraft for Aztec Municipal Airport ............................................................... II-7

Table 2D. Historical Operations for Aztec Municipal Airport .................................................................... II-8

Table 2E. Historical and Projected Population ......................................................................................... II-11

Table 2F. Aztec Municipal Airport Forecasts ........................................................................................... II-16

Table 2G. Airport Reference Code Components...................................................................................... II-17

Table 2H. Operations Forecast by Airport Reference Code ..................................................................... II-18

Table 3A. NMASPU Minimum Recommendations for Community GA Airports ....................................... III-4

Table 3B. Declared Distances .................................................................................................................... III-8

Table 3C. Recommended Pavement Maintenance Management Projects ............................................ III-12

Table 5A. Airport Capital Improvement Plan (ACIP) for Aztec .................................................................. V-2

List of Exhibits

Page

Exhibit 1A - Existing Conditions ..................................................................................................... Follows I-4

Exhibit 1B – Pavement Conditions Index ...................................................................................... Follows I-6

Exhibit 1C – Aeronautical Chart ................................................................................................... Follows I-10

Exhibit 2A – General Aviation Airplane Shipments and Billings Worldwide (1994-2017) ......................... II-4

Exhibit 2B – Historical Records on Based Aircraft and Operations for Aztec ............................................ II-6

Exhibit 2C – Historical IFR Operations for Aztec ........................................................................................ II-9 iv

Exhibit 2D – Historical Fuel Sales ............................................................................................................ II-10

Exhibit 2E – New Mexico Average Weekly Wages by County.................................................................. II-12

Exhibit 2F – Commparison of Based Aircraft Forecasts ........................................................................... II-13

Exhibit 3A – Summary of NPIAS Airports by Category .............................................................................. III-3

Exhibit 3B – Existing BLM Land Lease .................................................................................................... III-16

Exhibit 4A – Planning Considerations ........................................................................................ Follows IV-1

Exhibit 4B – Alternative 1 ........................................................................................................... Follows IV-2

Exhibit 4C – Alternative 2 ........................................................................................................... Follows IV-2

Exhibit 4D – Alternative 3 .......................................................................................................... Follows IV-3

Exhibit 4E – Alternative 4 ........................................................................................................... Follows IV-3

Exhibit 4F – Preferred Alternative .............................................................................................. Follows IV-4

Exhibit 5A – Phased Development .............................................................................................. Follows V-2

Appendices

A – BLM Lease Information

B – Airport Development History/Grants

C – USFWS Threatened & Endagered Species for New Mexico

D – FAA Correspondence

E – Overview of Closed/Noncompliant Runway 4-22

F – Aztec City Code – Airport Overlay Zone

G – City Approval Letter for Preferred Alternative

H – Airport Layout Plan (ALP) Overview and Drawings

I – Cursory Review of Wildlife Hazard Management Issues

Introduction

Introduction The purpose of this Airport Layout Plan (ALP) Report is to provide the City of Aztec (City) with a future development plan that satisfies aviation demand, verifies the critical aircraft, addresses airport issues and needs, documents general environmental conditions, addresses new FAA design standards and updates the Airport Capital Improvement Plan (ACIP) as well as the ALP drawings.

It’s been more than a decade since an airport-related planning study was completed, which was the 2008 Airport Action Plan. This ALP Report is a much-needed update to ensure the Aztec Municipal Airport (Airport) continues to be developed in a safe and effective manner. As directed by the City early in this study, much of the future development from the 2008 Plan has been carried over to this plan, which takes advantage of former analyses and findings that remain applicable. However, some 2008 proposed development is revisited to consider changes over the last 10+ years.

Funding for this study was primarily through a NMDOT Aviation grant, which covered 90% of study costs.

Elements of the ALP Report for the Aztec Municipal Airport (Airport) are documented in several sections and include the following:

I. Inventory II. Forecasts

III. Requirements IV. Development Alternatives V. Airport Capital Improvement Plan (ACIP)

A public involvement program established for the study offered the community an opportunity to follow progress, review materials, ask questions and submit comments. As part of the program, the City established a Planning Advisory Committee (PAC). PAC members served as community liaisons to help address questions about the study. The first PAC meeting was held on August 21, 2018, to kick off the study and discuss airport issues and existing conditions. The study was placed on hold, at times, to address some unanticipated planning issues such as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lease as well as extended review/comment and approval periods for forecasts. Consequently, some study tasks were delayed, and the second PAC meeting was postponed until October 2020. At the October meeting, the PAC evaluated near- to long-term development alternatives and identified a preferred development alternative to be recommended to the City for approval. In early December 2020, an overview of the study’s progress and findings including the PAC-selected preferred alternative was presented to the community at a Public Information Workshop. The October PAC meeting and December Public Information Workshop were virtual (online) meetings for safety during the COVID-19 pandemic. The City approved the preferred alternative in early February 2021, so the study could proceed with completion of the ACIP and the ALP drawings. The ALP drawings will soon be submitted to the FAA for review and approval since the City renewed their BLM lease—the highest priority to satisfy FAA requirements and to remain eligible for future funding.

Section I

Inventory

FINAL DRAFT - ALP REPORT

I - 1

I. INVENTORY

The purpose of this section is to document the existing conditions at the Aztec Municipal Airport (Airport).

Inventory data from the 2008 Airport Action Plan is updated as part of this process through a site visit, meetings with the airport manager and other city staff, and review of existing documents and drawings.

It is important to note that the inventory of existing conditions takes a snapshot in time so changes may occur before the study is complete.

Identifying current aviation activity and existing facilities at the Airport is important to subsequent planning elements when aviation demand forecasts are prepared, and future development needs are determined to serve the projected aviation demand.

Community Overview

The City of Aztec (City), located in the northwestern corner of New Mexico, has an estimated population of 6,5661, in its 13-square-mile area. Aztec is the county seat of San Juan County and represents an estimated 5% of the County’s population of 126,926. Larger nearby communities within San Juan County include Farmington and Bloomfield with populations over 45,000 and 8,000, respectively. Albuquerque is 180 miles, a three-hour drive, from Aztec via Highway 550. The closest commercial airline passenger service is available 40 miles away at the Durango-La Plata County Regional Airport (CO), a 45-minute drive from Aztec with daily nonstop flights to Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix, and Denver. The Farmington-Four Corners Regional Airport, a 30-minute drive, lost its commercial service with Great Lakes Airlines in November 2017. The closest major air carrier passenger service in New Mexico is at Albuquerque International Sunport.

According to the City, public bus service in the area is offered by Red Apple Transit and Road Runner Transit.

The Aztec Ruins National Monument, which attracted nearly 53,000 visitors in 2017, is one of numerous tourist attractions in the area.

Airport Overview

According to the 2008 Airport Action Plan, the City of Aztec purchased the Airport in 1961 for $8,900, but additional property history is limited. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records indicate that Aztec Municipal Airport consists of 160 acres today, but the FAA, New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) Aviation Division, and airport sponsor could not locate an Exhibit A property map with parcel

1 Census Bureau July 2017 estimate, a decline from the 2010 Census population of 6,763.

I - 2 acquisition details. The City acknowledges that the Airport is on a combination of city-owned land and a BLM lease. The latest BLM lease is from 2001 and includes approximately 11 acres2. Prior to 2001, the City leased 145.93 acres, but reduced the property lease to 11 acres in 2001. The airport manager and other city staff stated that the reduction in the BLM was for financial reasons since renewal of the larger lease area was too costly. Throughout this study, the City has been working with the BLM to renew their current lease as well as pursue additional acreage with a new lease.

The Airport is at an elevation of 5,882 feet3 mean sea level (MSL), which is 238 feet above the City’s elevation of 5,644 feet MSL. Sitting atop a mesa, the terrain around the airport drops significantly (60 to 180 feet), which has limited the airport’s footprint since its early development.

The three-letter FAA identifier for Aztec is N19, and the Airport coordinates are:

Latitude: 36° 50’ 13.017” N / Longitude: 108° 01’ 43.163” W

Airport Ownership and Management

The Aztec Municipal Airport is owned and managed by the City of Aztec with an airport manager overseeing the day-to-day operations. The airport manager splits his time between two city jobs; his airport management responsibilities take approximately 50 percent of that time. Part-time support from other city staff is utilized on occasion for airport maintenance and upkeep such as mowing. In the Airport’s early years, it was managed as a city department through a contracted concession arrangement.

An eight-member airport advisory board (AAB) is in place to serve in an advisory capacity to the City Commission. Promoting the safe, proper and orderly use and development of the airport is the AAB’s primary goal.

In 1996, a set of rules and regulations were prepared and adopted. The rules and regulations, city titled as the Handbook of Airport Operations, apply to all airport tenants to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the Airport. With no commercial aeronautical services conducted at the Airport, the City has not developed a set of minimum standards.

According to the City’s FY2017 records, annual airport operating revenues totaled $56,446 compared to $50,626 in operating expenses. However, personnel expenses are excluded from this figure. In comparison, FY2016 operating revenues totaled $53,250 and expenses reached nearly $72,000. Capital improvement grants from the FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and NMDOT Aviation Division are excluded from these revenue figures and the City’s matching funds for those grants are excluded from

2The BLM lease expired during the study and the City worked with the BLM to resolve the lease issue so the study and ALP drawing preparation could be completed. According to BLM correspondence with FAA, staffing constraints, workload and the pandemic caused extended processing times. See appendices for correspondence.

3 Surveyed (2011)

I - 3 expenses. FAA and State Aviation grants received during these two fiscal years totaled more than $970,000 for airport improvements and maintenance.

Economic Impact

The New Mexico Airport System Plan (NMASP), dated November 2017, states the following:

The New Mexico Airport System encompasses a multi-faceted gateway that welcomes commerce and visitors and provides access for outward travel across the state and to national and intercontinental destinations. The airports of New Mexico create significant benefits that extend beyond the aviation community to impact economic growth and development as well as the quality of life of residents.

Three key economic activity indicators help quantify each airport’s contribution to the community and region. These include employment, payroll and output. Further, the two sources of economic impact created by an airport include on-airport activity and off-airport spending.

On-airport activity includes jobs and worker payroll, which may be associated with airport management, on-airport business activity and capital improvement projects. Off-airport spending is an important consideration as pilots and passengers spend money locally creating hospitality-related jobs, income and revenues—something to be considered each time pilots and passengers take a courtesy car from the airport into town, or when airport construction project-related workers spend days, weeks or months in the area.

Also notable is that economic activity has a direct and secondary economic impact. Direct impacts are the most apparent such as airport-generated revenues (e.g., fuel sales, hangar leases), paying airport-related employees and workers, and visitors arriving by air and spending money on goods and services. Secondary impacts include indirect and induced. Indirect, for example, may include the fuel supplier who sells to the airport and pays its employees. Induced is often referred to as the multiplier effect as airport-related activity dollars are circulated and recirculated in the economy.

The 2017 NMASP highlights the following as the economic impact for the New Mexico system of airports:

• Jobs supported 18,940

• Payroll $717.7 million

• Total Economic Impact $2.3 billion

I - 4

Table 1A presents the economic impact findings specifically for the Aztec Municipal Airport. The economic impact study shows that the economic benefits exceed the cost of operating, maintaining and upgrading airport facilities.

Table 1A. Aztec Municipal Airport Economic Impact (NMASP 2017)

Source Employment Payroll Output

Direct Economic Impact

On-Airport Activity 9 $553,000 $2,157,000

GA Visitors 12 $273,000 $1,050,000

Direct Impact 21 $826,000 $3,207,000

Secondary Economic Impact

On-Airport Activity 10 $453,000 $1,386,000

GA Visitors 3 $117,000 $397,000

Secondary Impact 13 $570,000 $1,783,000

Total Economic Impact

On-Airport Activity 19 $1,006,000 $3,543,000

GA Visitors 15 $390,000 $1,447,000

Secondary Impact 34 $1,396,000 $4,990,000

Note: Employment, payroll, and output include annual average capital improvement expenditures of $320,000 Source: NMASP 2017

Existing Facilities

The Airport’s existing facilities are generally classified as airside, landside and support. Airside includes facilities such as runways, taxiways, and aircraft apron while landside includes facilities such as hangars and the terminal /pilot lounge building. For discussion, support facilities include auto access and parking, security and fencing, fuel storage, and utilities and drainage. Exhibit 1A presents the existing conditions at the Airport.

AZTEC MUNICIPAL AIRPORT

ALP REPORT

Existing Conditions Map

RUNWAY PROTECTION ZONE250' x 1000' x 450'

RUNWAY PROTECTION ZONE250' x 1000' x 450'

AIRPORT DR.

CRANE CROSSING RD.

O

LI

VE

R

D R

AIRPORT PROPERTY LINE

AIRPORT PROPERTY LINE

AIRPORT

PROPERTY LINE

4 STRAND BARBED-WIRE FENCE

CRANE CROSSING RD.

CARE

LANE

RUNWAY 8-26 4314' X 60'

CLO

SE

D

EXHIBIT 1A

FACILITIES

TABLE

EXISTING

# Facility Name Top Elevation

1 Rotating Beacon 5931.7

2 Power Pole with Light 5910

3 Power Pole 5907

4 Airport Office/Hangar (Antenna) 5908

5 Hangar 5890.8

6 Hangar 5897.9

7 Hangar 5892.3

8 Hangar 5889.5

9 Hangar 5887.8

10 Hangar 5890.8

11 Hangar 5893.8

12 Hangar 5885.6

13 Light 5899

14 Windcone with segmented circle 5895.3

15 Light Pole at Fuel Tank 5897.1

16 Water Tank 5899.2

17 Fire Station (Antenna) 5898.4

18 Light Pole 5900.5

19 Light Pole 5902.1

20 Water Tank (Vent) 5836.1

21 Pump House 5809.8

22 Motor operated gate and keypad 5878

BURIED HIGH

PRESSURE NATURAL

GAS LINE

PVAS

PLASI

DISPLACED THRESHOLD 226'

DISPLACED THRESHOLD 277'

www.bhinc.com 800.877.5332

300' 150' 0 300'

1" = 300'

650' 325' 0 650'

1" = 650'

VEHICLE PARKING

AIRPORT BLM LEASE LINE

AIRPORT BLM LEASE LINE AIRPORT BLM

LEASE LINE

I - 5

Airside Facilities Runway Including Aztec, there are 26 public use airports with a single-runway airfield configuration in the New Mexico airport system, while the remaining 29 system airports have two or more runways. Aztec’s single runway is a paved east-west runway, Runway 8-26, with dimensions of 4,314 by 60 feet. Both runway ends have a displaced threshold since the graded runway safety areas off both ends are inadequate.

Runway 8 has a 226-foot displaced threshold and Runway 26 has a 277-foot displaced threshold. The displacements are from the actual pavement end to the landing threshold or beginning of the runway available for landing. The displaced area can be used for takeoff. Further, the midfield elevation of Runway 8-26 obstructs the line of sight between runway ends due to the parabolic grade of the runway.

Both ends of Runway 8-26 are built up using rock filled gabion baskets up to 15 feet high as a retaining wall due to the near vertical drop-offs on the runway ends to provide as much length as possible on the mesa top. While the runway end to runway line-of-sight does not meet the Airport Design criteria for a runway without a parallel taxiway, it was allowed by the FAA during the design for the reconstruction of Runway 8-26 in 2010 as a parallel taxiway is planned for this runway. During the reconstruction of Runway 8-26 in 2010, the gabion retaining walls raised the runway ends to improve the line-of-sight and allowed a slightly longer runway length than existed before the reconstruction.

Aztec’s former crosswind runway has been officially closed since 2017). Aligned northeast-southwest (formerly Runway 4-22), this 40-foot-wide runway was deactivated since it did not meet various safety standards including FAA’s required minimum width of 60 feet. Additionally, the conventional/box hangar closest to Runway 22 (88 feet from the runway centerline) encroaches into the FAA-required object free area and safety areas creating a physical hazard. Despite the runway closure markings, there are reports of pilots using the pavement occasionally during strong south westerly crosswinds.

Runway Alignment Runways are developed to align with the prevailing winds. Runway numbering is based on the longitudinal magnetic heading rounded to the nearest 10 degrees, so runway 8 has a magnetic heading of approximately 080 degrees and Runway 26 has a magnetic heading of approximately 260 degrees. For Aztec, prevailing winds are from the east and west, so the east-west Runway 8-26 alignment is optimal.

However, pilots report that when crosswinds are present, it is difficult to use Runway 8-26.

Local Aztec wind data is unavailable to accurately assess wind coverage, so the closest available data acceptable to the FAA is at the Farmington-Four Corners Regional Airport. Considering the distance and variance in terrain and the proximity of two rivers to the Farmington airport, airport users agree that Farmington wind data is not representative of Aztec. Nevertheless, the FAA recommends that the best available wind data be obtained for the most recent 10 years, which is Farmington wind data from 2008 through 2017. According to the Farmington wind analysis, wind coverage at 10.5 knots (13 mph) on a Runway 8-26 alignment is 96.16%. The Farmington alignments are Runways 7-25 and 5-23.

I - 6

Taxiways There are two connecting taxiways between the apron area and Runway 8-26, as well as taxilanes providing access to hangars. There is no parallel taxiway system.

The east connecting taxiway is located east of the old Runway 4-22 intersection with Runway 8-26 and runs from the tiedown apron and fuel island to Runway 8-26. This taxiway was recently realigned to include a 90° turn to comply with current FAA design standards requiring that direct access from an apron to a runway be eliminated to reduce the potential for runway incursions—pilots inadvertently taxiing onto an active runway.

The west connecting taxiway is 25-feet wide and located west of the old Runway 4-22 intersection; this taxiway is not designed to the current FAA taxiway design criteria. The taxiway has a curve prior to intersecting Runway 8-26 and meets this aspect of the taxiway design criteria, but the curve fillets do not comply with design criteria.

Aircraft Apron The aircraft apron area including tiedowns, circulation and taxilanes is approximately 12,000 square yards with one large contiguous pavement that runs from the taxiway connectors to the hangars and terminal and south to the fence line where the access gate and auto parking is located. A total of eight nested tiedowns are marked in front of the terminal and an additional four tiedowns are south of the terminal towards the south end of the apron.

Pavement Strength and Condition According to a 2011 runway reconstruction project, the pavement strength of Runway 8-26 is 12,500 pounds single wheel loading (SWL). This differs from the pavement strength rating identified on the FAA Airport Master Record (FAA Form 5010), which reports 10,000 pounds SWL. As part of the New Mexico Statewide Pavement Management System Update, Aztec’s airport pavements were inspected in April 2016. Eight pavement sections totaling 561,959 square feet were inspected including the crosswind runway, which was closed in 2017. Exhibit 1B is derived from the inspection but advances the pavement condition to anticipated current (2018) PCI values. Since the inspection, apron and east connecting taxiway improvements have been completed.

Airfield Lighting, Marking and Signage Runway 8-26 has retro-reflective runway edge lighting, but a design project has been completed for installing a medium intensity runway lighting (MIRL) system. Project construction delays occurred for the City’s execution of its BLM lease agreement4; runway threshold and displaced thresholds lights as well as taxiway entrance lights are included in the project. Currently non-standard approach lighting is also

4 The BLM lease expired during the study and the City worked with the BLM to resolve the lease issue so the study and ALP drawing preparation could be completed. The BLM provided a letter to the FAA once the lease renewal was in progress, and the FAA agreed to allow the lighting project to proceed.

Pavement Conditions Index

EXHIBIT 1Bwww.bhinc.com 800.877.5332

I - 7 installed on each runway end. Pilots can activate the approach lights on the Common Traffic Advisory Frequency (CTAF), 122.9. Connecting taxiways are equipped with reflectors.

Runway 8-26 is marked as a basic visual runway, which includes a white centerline and runway numbers.

There are displaced threshold markings for both runways. The displaced threshold markings depict the beginning point where the runway is available for landing, but takeoffs can be initiated behind the displaced threshold.

Airfield signage includes a retro-reflective runway holding position sign for Runway 8-26 on the west connector taxiway. The east connector taxiway does not have a runway holding position sign. The MIRL system project design includes new airfield guidance signage.

Airport Navigational Aids Visual aids and instrument approach aids are classified as airport navigational aids. Aztec is equipped with visual slope guidance indicators, which identify to pilots whether they are coming in too high, too low, or on the proper approach slope. Runway 8 has a retroreflective Passive Visual Approach Slope Indicator (PVAS) while Runway 26 has a Pulsating Light Approach Slope Indicator (PLASI). Both systems are working but outdated. The airfield lighting design project replaces the old systems with Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) systems.

Also considered visual aids are the wind indicators on the airfield. The Airport has an unlighted supplemental wind cone near each runway end and an unlighted primary wind cone and segmented circle near the west connecting taxiway. The runway lighting design project (construction delayed) includes installation of a new primary lighted wind indicator and segmented circle.

As a visual airport, there are no instrument approach aids at the Airport.

Landside Hangars The City has numbered each hangar currently occupied by its airport tenants. Of the 14 total, 10 are city-owned hangars and four are on ground leases. All hangar and ground leases are with private aircraft owners, not businesses. Buildings 5, 10, 11 and 12 depicted on Exhibit 1A are privately owned hangars on ground leases with the City; all others are city-owned and leased hangars. Building 4 consists of two large conventional hangars as well as the pilot lounge on the northwest side. Building 8 includes a bank of two hangars and Building 9 is a bank of four hangars.

Terminal Building The terminal building, named “Mike Arnold Pilot Lounge,” is attached to one of the city-owned large hangars—the easternmost hangar. Amenities include a seating area, a TV, and a side table filled with brochures on tourist attractions, restaurants, and lodging. On one side, there are two restrooms while the other side includes a room with a desk, computer and printer for flight planning and two snack and

I - 8 beverage vending machines. Wi-Fi is available as well. The building also includes a separate airport administration and storage room.

City Fire Station A City of Aztec Fire Station served by 14 volunteer fire fighters, is located on the Airport. This station is for structural firefighting. There is no equipment designed for aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) at this station or on the airport as ARFF support is not required since commercial passenger service is not offered.

Support Facilities Support facilities include auto access and parking, fuel storage, utilities and drainage, security and fencing, and airport property.

Airport Access and Auto Parking Airport Drive provides access to the airport property. Going west from town on US Highway 64, access is from North Oliver Ave. to Airport Drive.

Airport Drive leads to a paved auto parking area for visitors outside the airport security gate. Inside the gate, there is unmarked paved parking adjacent to the terminal building and attached hangar.

Security and Fencing For Aztec, security includes chain link fence with a controlled-access gate at the auto parking area, building area lighting and occasional patrols by law enforcement. The Airport has a four-strand barbed wire fence around the perimeter, but some sections are presently down and in need of repair. The controlled-access gate, which is in good operating condition, is adjacent to auto parking along the fence line at the main airport entrance. To enhance security, the gate remains closed and requires an access code for all airport visitors.

Fuel The City provides fuel service 24/7 with a self-serve 100LL fuel pump on the apron. Fuel storage capacity is 10,000 gallons. The fuel farm is a new facility installed in 2016 that complies with all current environmental requirements. Pilots often stop at Aztec specifically for its competitive fuel prices, ease of access and location within the aerial highway system.

Utilities and Drainage Utilities at the airport include electricity, water, sewer, solid waste, and telephone/data. Gas for the terminal building was provided from the high-pressure gas line that bisects the airport. This is to be replaced with a propane system. Most of the hangars have electrical service only.

Drainage from the site is adequate using established drainage paths from the mesa top.

The City provides the electrical, water, sewer, and solid waste services.

Facilities Summary Table 1B summarizes the airside, landside and support facilities at the Airport.

I - 9

Table 1B. Summary of Facilities

Facility Description

Runway Runway 8-26, paved, 4,314’ x 60’ Displaced Thresholds R8: 226’ / R26: 277’

Pavement Strength 12,500 lbs. SWL

Airfield Lighting Markings Signage

Retroreflectors (MIRL project - design completed) Basic Visual

Runway holding position sign (west connector taxiway)

Visual Aids R8: PVAS / R26: PLASI (PAPI systems – design completed) Wind indicators – 3

Apron 12,000 SY

Hangars 4 Privately-owned hangars on ground leases 10 city-owned hangar leases

Terminal Pilot lounge/seating area, restrooms, vending machines, wi-fi, airport admin/storage

Auto Access & Parking Airport Drive (off Olive). Access-controlled security gate. Paved auto parking (outside fence and by terminal, unmarked)

Security & Fencing Perimeter fencing (4-strand barbed wire); chain link fence with controlled-access gate; building area lighting; occasional patrols

Fuel 24/7 self-serve 100LL (Avgas); 10,000-gallon storage tank

Airport Development History

As noted in the 2008 Action Plan, the Airport was a private facility before the City purchased it in 1961 for $8,900. NMDOT Aviation Division records include numerous projects through 2018, which included local and state funding. Since the Airport was added to the National Plan of Integrated Airport System (NPIAS), it has received Federal Airport Improvement Program funding. A summary of the Airport’s grant history is included in the report appendices.

Aviation Activity

Aviation activity at an airport is primarily measured by the number of based aircraft and airport operations. According to the FAA Airport Master Record (Form 5010) for Aztec, there are 12 single-engine aircraft based at the Airport plus two ultralights. The airport manager recently updated the airport’s

I - 10 aircraft count in the national based aircraft inventory database at www.basedaircraft.com, which allows airport sponsors to enter tail numbers (aircraft registration) of their based aircraft to validate their based aircraft status or to flag them as being identified as a based aircraft at another airport. If duplication exists, the location at which the aircraft spends more than 50 percent of time should be considered and listed as the home base for the aircraft.

Total annual operations are reported as 5,500, which is an average of 106 operations weekly, or 15 operations daily.

A review of aviation activity at seven area airports within 40 nautical miles of and including Aztec are presented in Table 1C. An aeronautical chart for the area is depicted in Exhibit 1C, which shows the location of these airports. These airports may compete with Aztec for based aircraft and operations depending on factors such as runway length, instrument approach capability, fuel services, hangar availability, hangar rates, and location convenience, to name a few.

Table 1C reveals that the based aircraft count at area airports ranges from zero to 122, and annual operations range from 200 to 36,000. Three of the seven airports can accommodate instrument operations with a published instrument approach procedure (IAP); these three also have the longest runways. In comparison, Aztec’s 5,500 operations represent an estimated 15 percent of Durango’s activity. Further, Aztec has approximately 20 percent of Durango’s total based aircraft (61). In contrast, Four Corners Regional in Farmington has double the based aircraft of Durango (122).

Table 1C. Area Public Use Airports and Activity

Airport Identifier Distance from Aztec Longest Runway Based

Aircraft Operations

Aztec N19 -- Paved 4,314’ x 60’ (visual) 12 5,500

Four Corners Regional FMN 11 nm NW Paved 6,704’ x 100’ (IAP) 122 32,642

Navajo Lake 1V0 18 nm E Paved 5,022’ x 60’ (visual) 0 200

Durango-La Plata Co DRO 23 nm NE Paved 9,201’ x 150’ (IAP) 61 36,031

Animas Air Park 00C 23 nm N Paved 5,010’ x 50’ (visual) 45 10,950

Shiprock 5V5 33 nm W Paved 5,210’ x 75’ (visual) 0 500

Cortez CEZ 40 nm NW Paved 7,205’ x 100’ (IAP) 31 9,834

Source: FAA Airport Master Record (FAA Form 5010)

The airport manager is currently in the process of verifying the based aircraft count through the FAA’s national based aircraft inventory program www.basedaircraft.com.

http://www.basedaircraft.com/ http://www.basedaircraft.com/

Aeronautical Chart Extract

EXHIBIT 1Cwww.bhinc.com 800.877.5332

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At airports without a control tower, like Aztec, annual operations are estimated. For Aztec, these estimates are derived from fueling transactions, visitor logs, and daily observations. An operation is a takeoff or landing, so with an average of 106 operations weekly at Aztec, this translates to about 53 takeoffs and 53 landings weekly. Operations are also categorized as either local or itinerant. A local operation is defined as one that remains in the vicinity of the airport, which is typically training activity such as touch-and-go operations. Itinerant activity includes all operations that are departing for or arriving from another location. Of the estimated 5,500 annual operations at Aztec, 2,500 are identified as local and 3,000 as itinerant.

There is a broad variety of airport users at Aztec such as recreational, business, flight training, firefighting, and medical. In the past, some agricultural activity was conducted out of the Airport (i.e., crop dusters).

Additional discussion of aviation activity as well as projected future demand is presented in the Aviation Demand Forecasts.

Environmental Conditions

In this section, a preliminary identification of potential or known environmental conditions is documented. The purpose of this element is to identify potential environmental issues that may require consideration in developing the airport and to comply with NEPA requirements. The FAA requires an environmental review of any activity that results in disturbing the earth on the airport. The simplest is a Categorical Exclusion (CATEX) which is generally a paper review of archaeologic, biotic and flora and fauna in the area. The next is an Environmental Assessment (EA) which is an on the ground evaluation of the same items and may or may not involve things like noise and traffic pattern issues as well as public meetings. The most extreme is a full Environmental Impact Study which require extensive public involvement in addition to a significant amount of groundwork.

Information presented is derived from the City’s past environmental documentation and online resources.

The City’s most recent environmental documentation for the Airport includes a Categorical Exclusion (CATEX) submitted to the FAA for a runway lighting project, which is dated March 2018. The CATEX addresses the runway environment noting that the area has been “...disturbed by prior construction and reconstruction of Runway 8‐26. The area surrounding the airport property is residential to the south and east, to the west and north are several gas wells.”

Table 1D summarizes the information from the March 2018 CATEX and online information.

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Table 1D. Summary of Environmental Conditions

Category Description

Wetlands

• There are no wetlands or other waters of the US in or near the project area

• Wetland delineation has not been completed within the proposed project area.

Flood Zones • The project is not located in, encroach upon or otherwise impact a floodplain.

Historic or Cultural features

• There are no historic/cultural resources listed (or eligible for listing) on the National Register of Historic Places located in the Area of Potential Effect. The project does not have the potential to cause effects and area has previously been disturbed. (Note: There are 24 listings for Aztec on the National and State Register of Historic Places according to New Mexico’s SHPO data, but none are at or in the immediate vicinity of the airport)

Section 4(f) features

• There are no properties protected under Section 4(f) in or near the project area. This includes publicly owned parks, recreation areas, and wildlife or waterfowl refuges of national, state or local significance or land from a historic site of national, state or local significance.

• No project construction or operation will physically or constructively “use” any Section 4(f) resource. The project will not affect any recreational or park land purchased with Section 6(f) Land and Water Conservation Funds

Flora/Fauna

• There are no federal or state listed endangered, threatened, or candidate species or designated critical habitat in or near the project area including species protected by individual statute, such as the Bald Eagle. (Fish and Wildlife Service letter in appendices)

• The project does not affect or have the potential to affect, directly or indirectly, any federal or state‐listed, threatened, endangered or candidate species, or designated habitat under the Endangered Species Act (Note: See subsequent table of threatened and endangered species occurring in San Juan County)

• The project does not have the potential to take birds protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

• The project area does not contain resources protected by the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act

Natural Resources

• The project will not change energy requirement or use consumable natural resources either during construction or during operations

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Table 1D. Summary of Environmental Conditions (continued)

Category Description

Other relevant features or potential impacts

• Noise: The project could result in an increase in aircraft operations, nighttime operations or change aircraft fleet mix. There is potential for a minor increase in nighttime operations with the installation of runway lighting to replace the current retro-reflective edge system.

• Light Emissions and Visual Effects: Runway lights and PAPIs by their nature increase the lighting on and off the airport. No significant visual or aesthetic impacts are anticipated as a result of the proposed lighting project and no concerns have been expressed.

• Potential Controversy: There is no substantial dispute regarding future airport development.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, nine protected species have habitat in San Juan County.

Table 1E identifies these species and their status as threatened or endangered.

Table 1E. San Juan County Threatened and Endangered Species

Group Common Name Scientific Name Status

Birds Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus Threatened

Birds Southwestern willow flycatcher Empidonax traillii extimus Endangered

Fishes Colorado pikeminnow

(=squawfish) Ptychocheilus lucius Endangered

Fishes Razorback sucker Xyrauchen texanus Endangered

Fishes Zuni bluehead Sucker Catostomus discobolus yarrowi Endangered

Flowering Plants Mancos milk-vetch Astragalus humillimus Endangered

Flowering Plants Knowlton's cactus Pediocactus knowltonii Endangered

Flowering Plants Mesa Verde cactus Sclerocactus mesae-verdae Threatened

Mammals Canada Lynx Lynx canadensis Threatened Source: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ECOS Environmental Conservation Online System

Section II

Forecasts

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II. AVIATION DEMAND FORECASTS

Aviation demand forecasts presented in this section will feed subsequent planning tasks the necessary information to determine what airport improvements are needed, why they are necessary, when they should be completed, and how much they will cost.

The activity baseline used for Aztec projections is 2017. Forecasts cover the 20-year planning period, which is subdivided into 5-, 10- and 20-year timeframes.

• short-term (2022)

• intermediate-term (2027)

• long-term (2037)

Existing (2017) aviation activity is determined by the best available data. Aztec like many small GA airports, does not have a control tower, so operations are estimated. These estimates are reported on the FAA Airport Master Record (Form 5010). A planning study is an opportune time to review the estimated activity and validate or revise the estimates using available resources. Such resources may include acoustical counters, photos from motion-sensitive airfield cameras, fuel sale records, and input from the City (airport manager) and airport tenants. In Aztec’s case, fuel sale records and airport user input assisted with the review of aviation activity estimates, specifically annual operations. The airport manager’s records provided the number of aircraft based at Aztec—derived from tenant leases. To correspond with the typical FAA airport activity measures, the forecasts address:

• Based aircraft by type (fleet mix)

• Annual operations categorized by local and itinerant and classified as air taxi, general aviation or military

• Critical aircraft and airport reference code

The critical aircraft, also referred to as the design aircraft, may be represented by a specific aircraft or family of aircraft, which dictate the FAA design standards to be applied to airfield geometry.

The Aztec forecasts require review and approval1 by the FAA. If the study’s projections for Aztec vary from the FAA’s forecasts by more than 10% within the short-term timeframe or 15% in the…