EBENSBURG — Repairs planned for a hangar at the Ebensburg Airport should help bring back revenue that has been lost since the building was closed last year, airport officials said.

The hangar, in need of welding work to reinforce support structures, will be repaired in two phases. It has been closed since Ebensburg Borough officials deemed it unsafe and closed it to tenants months ago.

The borough owns the airport and assists in applying for grants, but has a contract with Regional Aviation Conservation and Recreation Association, a nonprofit corporation, to oversee management of the airport, explained Borough Manager Kelly Cook.

Although RACRA doesn’t have a timeline of when phase 1 work will be complete, it will include more permanent repairs to the hangar’s support structure to keep the building from falling down.

Phase 2 would include ceiling work, installing purlins in the roof and addressing other concerns in the engineer’s report, RACRA officials said.

RACRA treasurer Bill Grady said an appropriate revenue loss for the hangar is about $8,000 a year, but the loss would be at a full capacity, which is not typical due to the condition of the building over the last 15 years.

“The block part of the building is in good condition and has been rented up until the borough closed the building to tenants last year,” he said.

Using plans prepared by Altoona-based structural engineers Diviney & Associates, RACRA received an estimate of $15,552 to complete the first phase of repair work from Joseph Maintenance Services, a family-owned welding company in Indiana County.

Phase 1 work hasn’t started as of last week, according to Grady, who said they needed to obtain the engineer’s response to a repair method before the welders could begin working. The welding work should take about a week to complete, RACRA officials told the borough.

Borough Council members in April moved to have Diviney & Associates inspect the phase 1 work once it’s complete.

If the engineers deem it to be safe, the hanger can be used to generate revenue again.

“We wish to fast track the repairs to get the revenue stream once again,” Grady said.

Council President Doug Tusing said he questions how long the building will remain safe until the additional work needs to be done.

“I guess the next question is how long is it safe until we need to do the additional work and how long is that going to take RACRA to be able to acquire the funds necessary to do that,” he asked RACRA officials at the meeting. RACRA said their main concern is to get the primary support structure repaired.

Grady said the closed hangar can accommodate up to six aircraft, but since the airport tractors are in two of the slots, the hangar space is reduced to four slots.

In total, the airport has four hangar buildings with multiple aircraft rental spots in each of the buildings, except for one building that is for single occupancy, he said.

RACRA is responsible for the match payment of any approved grants for the airport, which relinquishes any financial burden to the borough’s taxpayers for the airport’s operations, Grady said.

The airport is used for general aviation, but chartered aircraft can and do use the facility, Grady said.

In addition, the airport has a flight school, Mountaintop Aviation, and the airport is used by medical flights as a transfer site and for military training, Grady said.

“The airport does not have commercial flight operations,” he added.

He said each member of RACRA’s board of directors are expected to take on responsibilities for operating the airport.

“The board meets as often as the projects and operational issues require direction, typically every month or two,” Grady said, adding all meetings are public except for meetings when officers are elected.

Since former manager John Glass resigned from the airport several months ago, Grady said he has been an acting manager because he’s retired and has the most time to spend on tasks. Other members fill in when needed, he said.

Grady said RACRA supports the airport financially for the operations through rent and fuel sales. The aircraft fuel inventory, electric, heat, phone, internet and general maintenance bills are covered by RACRA per their contract with the borough.

He said the costs to replace buildings and provide airport upgrades, such as runway improvements and lighting, are covered under local, state and federal grants.

“Revenue loss in any amount has a direct impact on providing funding for grant matches to improve or upgrade the airport, so it is important for RACRA to get the hangar operational once again,” Grady said.

Mirror Staff Writer Matt Churella is at 814-946-7520.