By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The Hays Regional Airport master plan and airport layout plan includes acquisition of land for existing and future aviation demand.
There are 43 hangars at the airport and all are occupied. There is limited space for new hangar construction within the airport's current layout.
According to information from city staff, the demand for hangars continues to increase.
The city has been offered the purchase of a 20.33-acre tract of land on the east side of the airport. It has has been identified for future growth in the airport layout plan, therefore making the purchase eligible for federal funding.
Expansion into the area would be used for future hangar development.
Total cost of the land, owned by JoAnn Koerner, and its acquisition, is $261, 692.
The purchase is eligible for 90 percent funding through the FAA, with a 10 percent city match of $26, 129.
City commissioners will consider authoring City Manager Toby Dougherty to execute the land purchase during their Thursday meeting.
In other business, commissioners are scheduled to vote on a quitclaim deed for transfer of mineral rights requested by Rick and Betty Wolf.
Several years ago, the city acquired the right of way for the northeast portion of what would be the 260th Avenue and East 41st Street intersection. Along with that acquisition came the mineral rights.
The owners of the contiguous tract want to sell the property along with the mineral rights and have asked the city to deed those rights back to the adjacent property.
There is a producing oil well on the property and because the city owns the street tract it has a small interest in the production of the oil and gas.
According to figure from City Attorney John Bird, the one-tenth acre the city owns would amount to an annual barrel production of 0.0168 barrels, or an annual income of approximately $1.
The complete April 8 city commission agenda is available here.
The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.