During its Nov. 6 meeting, Washington’s City Council authorized the mayor to ask the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation to assist in making safety improvements to Washington-Warren Airport’s runways and taxiways. NCDOT-DOA offers a program that uses state employees to make such improvements at no cost to the city. “The DOA will inspect the areas that need maintenance upon the city’s request. The NCDOT will repair the area with NCDOT forces if the deteriorated area is a safety concern to the traveling public or flight operations,” reads a memorandum from Frankie Buck, the city’s director of public works, to the mayor and council members.

The work may include, but is not limited to, joint and crack sealing, pavement repairs and patching, surface treatments, maintenance overlays, pavement marking and drainage improvements. Under terms of the proposal, NCDOT may determine the scope of the work, design, materials to be used and methods of accomplishing the project.

A little less than a year ago, the airport was allocated $150,000 from NCDOT for improvements.

The grant for the airport, owned by the City of Washington, came from the Federal Aviation Administration’s non-primary entitlement funds and through the state’s block-grant program for aviation-related projects. The funds were intended for airside safety needs first, after which other needs could be considered, according to a letter from Bobby L. Watson, an engineer with DOT’s Division of Aviation.

As a condition of receiving the grant, the city was required to contribute $16,667 to the improvement project.

In another matter, the council approved an additional $8,347 in overtime funds to pay on-call city employees for work done at the Jack’s Creek stormwater pump station. The Public Works Department asked for the money.

“Historically, during rain events the supervisor has to call employees into work. Employees are not always available during these events making work at Jack’s Creek difficult for one or two people. This will allow for employees too be available when the supervisor calls. The program will make Public Works more efficient in response time to clean screens at Jack’s Creek,” reads another memorandum from Buck to the mayor and council members.