The Pitt Meadows Regional Airport will benefit from $1 million in provincial funding.
Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge MLA Lisa Beare said the money flows through the B.C. Air Access Program to improve safety and convenience for people travelling through YPK.
“Community airports are vital pieces of infrastructure, but often don’t have the same access to funding as larger airports,” said MLA Beare.
“We’re delivering the needed funds so that the Pitt Meadows airport can maintain and upgrade its facilities, keep training the next generation of pilots, and keep people moving through the region.”
The funding will be used for an apron rehabilitation, at a cost of $1.1 million, and will fix cracks, provide more space for parking aircraft, add more than 20,000 square feet of new paving, and provide night lighting.
“Essentially, it’s allowing the airport the opportunity to become the economic driver it can be,” said Beare.
Airport manager Guy Miller called the infrastructure upgrade “the building blocks of development.”
It was announced in October 2018, along with $60 million worth of new investments, including a helicopter park and new hangars. In February 2019, more new projects were announced, including a riverside restaurant and seaplane terminal, and a new main terminal building at a cost of $8 million.
YPK is one of 16 community airports across the province receiving funding this year. Improvements to community airports will range from runway resurfacing and terminal building expansions to increased medevac services, weather detection systems and fire protection upgrades, as well as reducing environmental risks and greenhouse gas emissions.
The program is in its fifth year, and this year’s grants total nearly $8 million in funding. Seven of the 16 facilities will receive funding for the first time this year.
ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
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