GRATIOT COUNTY — The Gratiot County Airport Authority met Oct. 20 as the commissioners recessed from their regular meeting into it (1:07:11). The airport manager told the authority that jet fuel sales were about 6,600 gallons below last year, that materials for the runway lighting project are 12 to 14 weeks out, and that a state inspection was due the following Tuesday, according to the county’s recording. The airport’s financial report shows fuel sales above budget for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
Fuel
The manager said jet fuel (Jet A) sales were about 6,600 gallons below the same point last year, 100 low-lead (100LL) aviation gasoline was about 2,100 gallons below through the first nine months, and there were 154 fewer fuel transactions (1:07:53). He said crop dusters used less fuel and sprayed fewer acres this year (he mentioned tar spot in corn), and that fuel prices were about $1.50 a gallon higher than a year ago and the latest Jet A delivery would cost more still.
The airport’s Revenue and Expenditure Report for the period ending Sept. 30, 2026 shows fuel sales of $190,838.58 against an amended budget of $175,000 (109.05 percent), and fuel purchases of $128,213.39 against $145,000. It shows contractual services of $159,065.40 against a budget of $80,000. Federal grant revenue budgeted at $328,450 shows $0 recorded; state grant revenue is $101,828.74 against a $51,610 budget. Total revenues are $380,314.47 against a $650,970 budget, and total expenditures are $359,672.90 against $725,500.
Runway lighting
The manager said a contractor from Mount Pleasant was the low bidder to replace the runway 9/27 lights, in an amount he put at about $380,000 to $390,000, “just off top of my head” (1:13:22). The work also moves lighting equipment out of the existing terminal into a separate concrete prefabricated building, with a concrete structure over the conduit. After a pre-construction meeting the previous week, he said, material is 12 to 14 weeks out, “that kind of puts us into January,” with a three-phase plan; the first phase might still happen this year, and winter weather could postpone the rest.
Other items
The manager said crack sealing and the final taxiway markings under a state grant are finished, that a state grant of about $190,000 was paid half in advance with the rest due on completion, that a tractor and mowing equipment remain to be delivered, and that the Sept. 26 fly-in drew 36 airplanes, about 145 people fed and 71 airplane rides for children. The state airport inspection was due the following Tuesday, Oct. 27, and he said some trees near runways 9 and 18 are too tall; the airport has easements, not ownership, on that land, he said, and tree removal is usually done in the fall. He said the deer management program uses state permits for up to 60 antlerless deer; last year it took 77 deer, 58 of them does.
What the record does not show
The manager’s written report on BoardBook is a 10-page file of images whose text is not machine-readable, so the figures above come from his remarks at the meeting. The record does not show the contract amount, the contractor’s name, the cost of the tree work, or why contractual services ran above budget.
Questions that remain
- What is the awarded amount and contractor for the runway lighting project, and what is its schedule?
- What does the Oct. 27 state inspection find, and what will tree removal cost?
- Why did contractual services reach $159,065.40 against an $80,000 budget?
Corrections and responses are welcome.