Plymouth Airport receives grant for snow removal equipment

Bill Sheley, Plymouth Airport Manager, announced Monday evening during the City Council meeting that they received a grant after the project received congressional approval.  The funds will be awarded once requirements are finalized. 

Sheley said this is a fiscal year 2025 grant award for $360,000 to the Plymouth Airport for snow removal equipment.  Sheley said he expects the funds to arrive in October. He said, “This is good news.”   

In 2019, the airport purchased a new Ford F450 and a plow to handle snow removal. Previously, they used an old Street Department truck that was deemed unsafe for street use. About two years ago, the Street Department gifted the airport a 1994 IH/Case farm tractor. They then purchased an 8-foot snow blower to attach to the tractor, which they use to blow snow over the runway lighting, preventing the lights from being buried when they plow.

Sheley told GIANT fm WTCA that the F450 does not move snow as well as the bigger Street Department plows. He said, “It takes us a long time to get the runway and aircraft movement areas clean after anything more than about a 2" snow event. We still borrow a Street Department truck occasionally when they are done with them.”  He continued, “Keep in mind the runway is 75' wide, so if we split the middle to move 2" to each side by the time the runway is clear, that 2" has been moved at least 4 times and is now 8"+.

A new taxiway is nearly complete and will add about 30% more pavement they need to clear.  Sheley said there are FAA guidelines for how quickly an airport should be able to clean aircraft movement areas based on the amount of traffic the airport has. He said, “These guidelines help determine the equipment necessary to complete the task, and we currently do not have the necessary equipment, thus qualifying for a grant to purchase the equipment.”

The equipment is listed as "SRE" Snow Removal Equipment by the FAA. The FAA does not award grants for tractors, but they do award grants for a "carrier Vehicle," which, in the case of the Plymouth Airport, a tractor meets their needs.  Sheley said they will use the tractor for mowing and other maintenance needs, but since it is being purchased with grant money, they are required to maintain it in serviceable condition for a period of 15 years. 

The equipment includes an approximately 200-horsepower tractor, because this is the smallest that is American-made, per FAA grant requirements.  Additional equipment includes a front-end loader attachment, a plow, and a rotary broom. The Plymouth Airport hopes to purchase a "push box" with local money to attach to the loader. The winning bidder was Bane-Welker for a 200-hp Magnum tractor that they will de-badge and send out to a paint shop to be painted “chrome yellow" per FAA requirements.

Airports are not allowed to use salt on any pavement an aircraft may travel over, so they need good equipment to keep the pavement clean of snow and ice.  Sheley said there is a liquid that can be used on runways, but one application can cost over $10,000, which is not feasible with the limited budget Plymouth Airport has.