The Cook County Airport continues to work toward extending its runway from 3,500 feet to 5,000 feet. The existing runway is in need of repairs estimated at $300,000 – $400,000.
Cook County may someday be hopping on the fast track with a longer runway at the Cook County airport across from Devil’s Track Lake. Commissioner Jim Johnson reported to the county board on January 18 that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is likely to support extending the runway from 3,500 feet to 5,000 feet.
A longer runway would enable larger aircraft to land, and this could affect the county in several ways, Johnson said: The U.S. Forest Service could land its “chemical bombers,” which would come in quite handy during major forest fires. People with medical emergencies could be transported to major medical centers more quickly than is currently possible with ambulances and helicopters, and they could even be flown to renowned medical centers like Rochester. Johnson suggested that even the tourism trade could benefit.
The airport is taking the steps that are necessary to enable the expansion, which would cost almost $20 million. The FAA would pay 95 percent of the cost, while the county would need to come up with the other 5 percent, which would be about $1 million. “For most of us in the county,” Johnson said, “a million dollars isn’t chump change.” The money might be almost ready at hand, however.
Johnson explained that the current runway is in need of $300,000 to $400,000 worth of repairs. The repairs could be postponed, and the money that would have been spent could be rolled into the larger renovation. The county is also paying the airport $300,000 to $400,000 for easements needed for improvements along County Road 8, Johnson said. This would bring the county much closer to coming up with the money needed to pay its share of the cost.
Changes continue to find their way to Cook County. A lot has changed since Orville Wright sent the following message: “Success — four flights Thursday morning — all against twenty-one-mile wind — started from level with engine power alone — speed through air thirty-one miles — longest 57 second[s] — inform press — home Christmas.
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