Winsted municipal airport
For those who love to fl y airplanes , the Winsted Municipal Airport is an exhilarating place to spend a day .
The airport is located at 3234 230th Street , on the southwest edge of Winsted . It became city property in 1962 .
Improvements completed in 2020
Winsted City Council , during its Feb . 19 , 2019 meeting , approved plans and specifi cations , and authorized Bolton & Menk to advertise for bids for a runway reconstruction project at the Winsted Municipal Airport .
The design of the turf runway project includes the following key components : a . Runway width 120 feet , with 20-foot shoulders for a total width of 160 feet . b . New lighting , runway end identifi er lights ( REILS ) and electrical building . c . Regrading of runway safety area on west and east ends of the turf runway . d . New taxiway pavement . e . Obstruction removal ( trees and brush ) on south and east sides .
The project construction cost is estimated at $ 2,155,500 . A Federal FAA prequalifi cation grant request was submitted for this work in December 2018 .
The anticipated funding will be 90 percent federal ( FAA ), 5 percent state ( MnDOT ), and 5 percent local ( city ).
The city council , during its April 2 , 2019 meeting , approved a bid from R and G Construction Company for the Runway 9 / 27 reconstruction project at the Winsted Municipal Airport in the amount of $ 1,797,423 , contingent upon the availability of federal and state funds . The engineer ’ s estimate for the project was $ 1,728,090 .
Wet weather and a delay in receiving funding resulted in the runway improvement project at the Winsted Municipal Airport being pushed back to 2020 , City Administrator Adam Birkholz said during a council work session Oct . 1 , 2019 .
He noted that the city received the funds Sept . 23 , but this was six or seven weeks later than anticipated .
Birkholz said he met with the airport commission to discuss options , and consensus was to begin construction as soon as possible .
Construction is expected to take about three months , plus six to eight weeks for turf establishment .
Relocation of a gas line on the west side of the project , took place in fall 2019 .
Airport history
In late 2011 , construction began on a 1,100- square-foot airport arrival / departure building , which replaced a 700-square-foot terminal from the 1980s . In June 2012 , the building was dedicated in honor of Winsted resident Russ Paschke .
Paschke was involved with the airport for 35 years , and served as airport commission chair since 1988 . He was also the airport manager , monitoring and conducting maintenance at the facility , and calling in the status of the runway .
Capital improvements
Maintenance and improvements to keep the airport a viable asset to the city and its hangar owners have been done through annual capital improvement projects , with the majority of costs paid for through federal funding . Recommendations and priorities of various upgrades are made by the airport commission , with fi nal approval given by the Winsted City Council .
Airport commission
The Commission maintains a membership of fi ve ( 5 ) voting members appointed by the Mayor and confi rmed by the council . The City Administrator and one ( 1 ) Council Member also serve as ex-offi cio , nonvoting members of the commission . Jeff Campbell , Chair Rick Stodola , Vice Chair Brenda Vetsch Dave Hanus Glenn Weibel Steve Stotko , Council Liaison
Winsted ’ s airport is located on the southwest edge of the city .
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