Weld County Commissioners are working with the City of Greeley to improve the Greeley-Weld County Airport by adding more hangar space and making necessary changes for commercial flights.
The ambitious project calls for using the airport’s longer than average runway to transform it into a larger commercial airport, modeled after Colorado Springs Airport. This will be accomplished by strengthening the runway to accommodate commercial aircraft. Currently, the runway is only designed to accommodate 40,000 pounds, allowing the runway to be used by smaller aircraft and private jets, but not larger aircraft or the National Guard aircraft stationed next to the airport.
At a meeting with commissioners on Wednesday, Greeley Public Works Director Paul Trombino III emphasized the steps that would be taken immediately with the commissioners’ approval. The first step will be building connecting roads between the runways to create more space for hangar construction. These connections will also create more space for industrial centers and manufacturing space.
Trombino estimates that these runway connections can be built by February 2025 with the approval of the county commissioners.
“This airport is a real diamond in the rough,” said County Commissioner Chairman Kevin Ross. “We have a lot of opportunities here.”
Both Trombino and Ross assured that the plans for the airport will not result in the closure of existing businesses at the airport. They will also ensure that the new airport does not impact surrounding residential areas with noise and strive to keep noise levels below 65 decibels.
Last week, U.S. Rep. Yadira Caraveo announced that Greeley would receive two federal grants from the Federal Aviation Administration. The Airport Infrastructure Grant and the Airport Improvement Program Grant will provide nearly $1.4 million to the project.
“The City of Greeley is on track to become one of Colorado’s largest cities. These federal investments will pave the way for economic growth and more opportunities to connect our communities with an airport that reflects Weld County’s growing potential,” Caraveo said.
Weld County will split the cost of this project 50/50, and county officials believe that with funding from the FAA, there is sufficient money in the county’s general funds to finance such a large undertaking.
“That’s the tree planting,” Ross said. “The FAA has told us that this runway is a priority and that they will work with us to make the investment to modernize this airport. We just have to be willing to plant the tree.”
Commissioners unanimously voted to support the project, and construction to improve Greeley-Weld County Airport will begin later this year.
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