Questions regarding ownership of nine buildings on the Washington State University campus are being settled, clearing the way for the school to sell them for a runway expansion at the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport.
The WSU Board of Regents is scheduled to vote Friday on an offer of $14.8 million from the airport for about 125 acres needed for a runway protection zone.
The deal hit a snag in late August when it was discovered at the last minute that the U.S. Department of Agriculture owns nine buildings on the land – not WSU, as was believed by the parties in the transaction. The issue was resolved through a provision that allows the USDA to surplus land to land-grant institutions like WSU.
Excavation has been underway for more than a year on the $119 million runway upgrade, which is being paid for mostly by the Federal Aviation Administration. Once complete, the taxiway will be twice as far from the runway as it is now, meeting the criteria for the size of aircraft that use the airport. The runway is being extended from 6,730 feet to 7,100 feet.
The runway is expected to be ready for planes in 2019. (Lewiston Tribune)
