Kincardine Airport grand opening held after main runway fixed

It was an exciting day for the Municipality of Kincardine as a grand opening was held Friday afternoon, marking the completion of the refurbishment and rehabilitation of the main runway, 13-31.

The $2-million project was finished on-time and under-budget which was appreciated by everyone seated in the airport terminal for some brief speeches before the ribbon-cutting was held outside near the runway.

Ian Robotham of WSP (formerly Genivar), project manager, said his company was retained to do a detailed design and then oversee completion of the project.

"It's not often we get to work on an airport in our area," he said. "We use the Kincardine Airport for business and pleasure."

He said it was rewarding to be involved in the rehabilitation of runway 13-31, as well as taxiways Alpha and Charlie, and electrical upgrades. He thanked former Kincardine chief administrative officer Murray Clarke who spearheaded the airport strategic plan in 2013, bringing about the urgency for fixing the main runway. He also thanked the municipality for its commitment to the airport.

Kincardine mayor Anne Eadie said this day has been a long time coming, and it was exciting to re-open runway 13-31. She thanked WSP, the Murray Group (contractor), Armow Wind (financial support), the COPA (Canadian Owners and Pilots Association) branch in Kincardine, the media, municipal staff, and former CAO Clarke, for their support of this project.

She welcomed special guest, Lt.-Gen. (Hon.) Richard Rohmer, 94, of Collingwood, a Second World War veteran, and a strong proponent and supporter of the Kincardine Airport.

"Our airport manger, Blake Evans, says you still fly better than he does," she said.

"But I don't talk as much," chimed in Rohmer.

"Lt.-Gen. Rohmer is not only a pilot and war hero, he was also a lawyer and author," said Eadie. "We are honoured to have you here today, and we appreciate your interest in our area."

She noted that Rohmer had an important role in the acquisition of land for the Kincardine Airport. He was a Toronto lawyer but had a cottage at Bruce Beach in Huron-Kinloss Township.

"The airport is an important transportation asset for the Municipality of Kincardine," said Eadie. "it is used for business and tourism travel. We have upgraded it over the years, with a new fuel system, GPS instrument approaches, private hangars and now, the rehabilitation of the main runway."

She said airport traffic is going to increase due to the ramping up of the Major Component Replacement project at the Bruce Power nuclear generating station. She added that the project was paid for through a $1-million grant from Armow Wind, plus another $1.2-million in Armow Wind community benefit funds for 2016 and 2017.

New Kincardine CAO Sharon Chambers said the airport is a tremendous asset in Kincardine, and enhances the economic development opportunities in Kincardine.

She thanked Clarke for doing all the work on this project before she arrived, as well as public works director Adam Weishar, and all who worked on the project.

Rob Boak, operations manager for Armow Wind, said the company (jointly owned by Samsung and Pattern) has 91 wind turbines operating in the former Kincardine Township, providing enough energy to power 70,000 homes. Construction began in 2013 and the wind farm became operational in December, 2015. It now has 15 people employed full-time.

"We are excited and happy to see the airport project completed," he said.