City on feds' case to reinvest in airport.

• Author: Ross, Ian
• Position: NEWS

Pay me now or pay more later.

It's the words of advice the City of North Bay is sending to the federal government regarding a major repaving job needed for the 25-year-old runway at Jack Garland Airport.

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However the original $5.5 million price tag to resurface the 10,000-foot military-length runway has jumped to almost $17 million.

A formal application was sent to Transport Canada in September asking for the feds to pick the bulk of the costs for a full-blown repaving of the runway surface.

The city's engineering consultants says the repaving job for its full length and width, the taxiways and to fill in the cracks on the apron will cost $16.6 million.

Under the Airports Capital Assistance Program, Ottawa must pick up 95 per cent of the costs, the remainder -- about $833,000 -- will come from the city.

The proposed work involves 60 millimetres of milling of the asphalt surface and replacing it with 80 millimetres of new asphalt.

Transport Canada has been balking about writing a cheque for the entire length of pavement, preferring only to pay for 6,500 feet and tearing up the remaining 3,500 feet. Under federal rules, the city is only entitled to have 6,500 feet resurfaced since the largest regularly scheduled aircraft are twin-prop Dash 8's.

The airport is one of 15 Canadian airports that can land heavy-lift cargo aircraft.

The city isn't pushing to attract that kind of air traffic, but it likes having the option. As well, it serves as an emergency landing strip for large passenger jets unable to land in Toronto or Ottawa during severe weather.

Fedeli sent that message to Federal Finance Jim Flaherty and Liberal Deputy Leader Michael Ignatieff during their campaign stops to North Bay, Sept. 15.

Only Ignatieff delivered a full-blown pledge to make the investment if elected..

"This is a no brainer," say Fedeli, "we have to secure that investment." Either way the runway must be fixed by 2010.

As a...