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Dayton airport gets $2M to control critters
Thursday, June 14, 2007
WASHINGTON — The Dayton International Airport on Wednesday received a $2 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant aimed at protecting its runways from errant critters.
Specifically, the grant — announced by Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio — will be used to acquire fencing to keep deer, foxes and other animals off the runways — a possible hazard for commercial flights. Not to mention the animals.
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Sharon Sears, a spokeswoman for the Dayton International Airport, said the 10-foot fence will be placed in areas most prone to wildlife.
"We often chase wildlife off of airport property, especially deer and coyote," Sears said. "It's not a daily occasion that they are out there. It's usually just airport property that they come on to, not the tarmac."
A portion of the fence will be buried several feet to keep out burrowing animals, she said.
Irene Porter, a project manager for the Department of Transportation, said work has been under way since the late 1990s to build fencing around airports deemed at-risk for wildlife traffic.
Dayton's fencing, she said, is already partly finished. But previous grants weren't large enough to finish the job.
Voinovich applauded the grant. "It is critical that we continue to make our systems more safe and efficient," he said.
Porter said she is unsure if this grant will complete the fencing project, saying it depends on what sort of bids the airport gets to do the fencing work.
"This is going to get us fairly close to complete," she said.
