Grande Prairie Airport officials say the money they have received from the federal government will be put to good use. All the fencing around the perimeter of the airport is set to be replaced with three-metre-high wildlife fencing next week thanks to a $469,139 grant.
Airport Commission CEO Brian Grant says the current fencing in place is reaching the end of its life.
“We have fencing there now but it’s all in it’s 40th or 41st year of being built so it’s time for a replacement. We’re going to some higher fence to help keep out the large wildlife.”
Grant adds that while they haven’t had too many run-ins with large animals on the runway he said it does still happen.
“We have had a few over the years but nothing that has caused us safety hazards or any type of operational interruptions but it is something that we have as a preventative measure.”
The money has come from Transport Canada’s Airports Capital Assistance Program. To date, the Grande Prairie Airport has received $22.1 million in funding for 19 projects including buying an aircraft rescue firefighting vehicle and new snow-clearing equipment.
Construction is expected to take three to four weeks to complete.