JOHNSTOWN - A company that maintains a hangar at the Fulton County Airport wants to tap into the county's water district and construct two new buildings at the site.
The proposed project by R&R Aviation Supply Co. was presented by county Planning Director James Mraz to the Board of Supervisors' Buildings and Grounds-Highway Committee on Monday.
He said R&R wants to lease about 45,000 square feet of land from the county for the project. The cost of the lease was not discussed.
Mraz said company owner Ronald Rios has a six-bay, T-shaped hangar to the west of the main terminal building on the airport grounds off Route 67.
"He wants to build a second building just to the left of that - another six-bay unit," Mraz said. "The second part of this project is a small office building."
Rios couldn't be reached this morning, but officials have talked about a need for more hangar space at the airport for many years.
Mraz said R&R has a 30-year lease to operate its existing hangar.
He said four of the six bays are rented to customers for aircraft storage, with one bay for the company's aircraft and the sixth bay dedicated to working on antique aircraft.
Mraz said the first new building Rios would build would be a new 7,500-square-foot metal hangar. As part of the project, a new access road would be built to the hangar, there would be a new connection into county Water District No. 1's water line, and electric service would be extended from the existing hangar.
He said the second, 1,200-square-foot metal building, constructed the following year, would be for an office, parts storage and a customer lounge.
Mraz said R & R Aviation Supply has asked the county to provide gravel fill needed to level the site.
The next steps, he said, are committee endorsements and board support for the project. The project eventually would require the Johnstown Common Council's approval to amend the county's water agreement with the city.
Michael Anich covers Johnstown and Fulton County news. He can be reached by e-mail at johnstown@leaderherald.com.
