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Airport
Pitt
Meadows, BC:
The little airport that can
Newly
acquired from Transport Canada, Pitt Meadows
Airport is on the prowl for aviation-related
business and scheduled flight services. The airport
is the only aerodrome in the Fraser Valley located
on the river's North shore. Abundant open space to
expand, and a Board free of political connections
will allow the new airport authority to make some
major changes. With $70,000 allotted to
refurbishing of administration facilities, and
$250,000 to help with operating losses for the next
two years, none are taking this acquisition
lightly.
The
land base is 750 acres at a value of $8 million
plus. The
seven member voting board consists of persons in
Aviation, Economic Development, Tourism, Financial-
Accounting- Non Profit and Risk Management, Law and
Site Development. A three member nonvoting board
will include one council member each, from Maple
Ridge and Pitt Meadows, and a Katzie First Nations
member. Communities served by the airport are
Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Pitt
Meadows, and Maple Ridge represent a combined
population over 220,000.
Tourism
is a huge draw, with Pitt Lake, Tweedsmuir
Provincial Park, golf courses, and pristine
wilderness areas nearby. The Airport has three
runways, ranging to 1310 m, the largest capable of
handling small passenger jets. Currently Pitt
Meadows Airport serves 3 helicopter operations and
75 private aircraft. There's also a fully serviced
float plane dock (with water extraction
facilities), and a flight tower operated by Nav
Canada. The
airport and surrounding areas are fully serviced
with all city connections. A proposed bridge over
the Fraser will connect with the Trans-Canada
Highway and Surrey, Pitt Meadows Airport, cutting
the drive time to 10 minutes. The community of Pitt
Meadows is backing the airport 100 percent and its
spokesman is Councilor John Appleton.Plans for a
riverside business park, west of the airport are
underway. For details contact John Appleton,
Councilor, Pitt Meadows (604) 465 1267, fax (604)
465-2404.
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