THE Porepunkah Airfield Association (PAA) is seeking community support for its ongoing Runway Upgrade Project to make the airfield useable all year round.
During the winter and spring months, the Porepunkah Airfield runway is often shortened and sometimes closed for extended periods due to water inundation.
This limits the use for local aircraft operators and emergency service fixed-wing aircraft during these periods.
In 2022 the PAA successfully obtained funding and constructed an emergency services helipad.
Following the success of that project, the PAA embarked on designing a solution to the runway drainage issues to ensure it could be used all year round.
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Designs and costings for the work were completed in 2023 and the project involves raising the lower sections of runway to improve drainage.
Announced in the 2024 Federal Budget was additional funding for regional airport safety and emergency service access.
The PAA is about to apply for Federal Government grant funding through the Regional Airport Program (RAP) for the runway upgrade, with applications due by the middle of November.
"The project is shovel-ready and all that is required is the funding and some donations of fill soil from the community," managing director of the Runway Upgrade Project, Owen Jourdian said.
"A condition of the RAP funding is that there must be alternate funding or donations for a percentage of the works.
"The PAA can achieve this criteria if we receive donations of the fill soil we need for the project.
"We require 2500m3 of clean fill to be donated over a 12 month period (throughout 2025) which will be used for the civil works to raise the lower sections of the runway."
Commitments for donated fill need to be received by November 12 in order for the PAA to be able to include them in the grant application.
Anyone able to donate fill can contact Mr Jourdian on 0404 892 205 or via email: info@ypok.org.au
If the PAA is successful with the grant application it will contact anyone who made a commitment to agree on a suitable time to deliver in 2025.
