Airport and ambulance progress forward

The Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport and Castle Rock Ambulance Service are both making changes and adjustments as they work towards continued progress.

The Sweetwater County Board of County Commissioners heard updates from and had discussions with representatives from both the airport and the ambulance service during their Aug. 20 meeting.

Airport Director Devon Brubaker spoke with the commissioners during the meeting about a resolution for the continuation of a fee collection, and gave updates on the progress of the terminal project, including the move to a new temporary terminal.

Brubaker brought a resolution to the commissioners authorizing the continuation of a Passenger Facility Charge (PFC). He explained the resolution showed the county's support for the airport board and himself as the director to execute a new application to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to renew the authority to continue collecting and expending the PFC. The PFC is a user fee that "helps defray the cost to local governments by helping us fund approved capital projects that meet FAA regulations," Brubaker explained.

When asked for further clarification by the commissioners, Brubaker explained that the projects in the application to be covered by the PFC are projects that have occurred since 2016.

"There are no future projects in this application," he said. "They are past projects that allow us to reimburse local matches."

He added that this reimburses the airport board and offset any funding shortfalls, which helps them keep their funding requests to the county lower. The PFC brings in about $70,000 each year, according to Brubaker. Collecting the PFC is also something the airport has been doing for nearly 30 years, Brubaker said.

The commissioners had several questions for Brubaker about the resolution and the process for collecting the PFC. Commissioner Mary Thoman expressed a desire for the airport's Board of Trustees to approve the resolution before the commission approved it, although Brubaker said he didn't believe the order of approval had been an important factor in the past. While Commissioner Robb Slaughter said he didn't have a problem with approving the resolution before the airport board, he agreed with several of the commissioners who expressed a desire to see more specific details on the PFC and the application.

The commissioners ultimately voted to postpone consideration of the resolution until they could have more information on it. The motion passed 4-1, with Slaughter being the single "nay" vote.

Brubaker also gave the commissioners some updates on the progress of projects at the airport. He invited them to open houses that were hosted by the airport the following day, Aug. 21, where elected officials and members of the public had the chance to review the airport's master plan and ask questions. He also pointed out that the airport would be making their move to a temporary terminal that week.

"It's the biggest terminal move I've done in my 21-year career at six different airports," Brubaker said.

The move to the temporary terminal was completed Friday, Aug. 23, as part of the airport's ongoing terminal renovation project. The change involved moving baggage screening and security equipment and reconfiguring the parking lot.

"Terminal operations will run out of temporary terminal facilities until completion of the Commercial Terminal Modernization Project, which is anticipated during the summer of 2025," an airport press release explained.

The county commissioners also heard a quarterly update from Castle Rock Ambulance during the Aug. 20 meeting, with Castle Rock Hospital District CEO Bailie Dockter and Ambulance Director Kim White reporting favorably on the ambulance's continued development.

"This year we ended the fiscal year ahead of budget," Dockter said, adding that they had already decreased their request for the county subsidy to $1.6 million, and now hope to decrease it further to $1.54 million. "We're really excited about the shift that we've seen in ambulance and what those numbers mean for us."

Dockter also updated the commissioners on the ambulance service's efforts to build a new ambulance bay in Rock Springs. The hospital district purchased land from Western Wyoming Community College and is working with architects on designs for the new bay, which will be on Gateway Boulevard.

"The reason that we chose that location is because of the central location and the need to respond both east and west in Rock Springs," Dockter explained. "It was ideal, it was a great value, and. . . we feel like we can respond quickly from there."

Director White shared the the ambulance ran 1,161 911 calls over the quarter, not including helping out at stand-by events, like the rodeo. She also shared their response times, noting that the rural nature of some of the calls and the need to respond to areas like Little America and McKinnon drives up the average on the response times, but she still thought their numbers were good.

"Overall things, I feel, are going really well," White said.

Dockter and White also shared that ambulance staff continue to further their training and go through new courses and certifications, including a course offered by Western this summer.

"It sounds like things are improving," Chairman West said.