PENN TWP — The $22 million runway expansion at Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport will benefit the entire county, said Butler County Commissioner Kim Geyer.

“(The commissioners) think the facility has a lot of potential, more than it is revealing now, so we want to start building a foundation for the future,” Geyer said of the 230-acre property at the end of Airport Road.

She said the commissioners included the airport in their comprehensive economic development plan and 10-year comprehensive plan.

Commissioners also sought to have the facility's name changed from Butler County Airport to Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport so that pilots who do an Internet search on airports near Pittsburgh would see the facility.

“We are trying to do as many things as we can,” Geyer said. “We are really excited about the recent grant we received for the runway extension project.”

Ike Kelly, the airport's manager, said much of the $22 million needed to extend the runway 700 feet will be spent on excavation, as 1 million to 1.5 million cubic yards of dirt must be moved.

The excavators, heavy equipment and trucks required in such an extensive earth-moving project will be a large expense, Kelly said.

Regarding the total estimated cost of $22 million, Kelly said 90 percent will come from the Federal Aviation Administration, 5 percent from the state Department of Transportation and 5 percent from the airport.

“We have most of that,” Kelly said.

He said the benefit of the runway extension, in addition to allowing pilots to load more people, equipment or fuel on their planes, is the enhancement of safety for aircraft operations.

Kelly explained that federal and state aviation experts study the most frequent type of aircraft using the airport against factors like the highest average temperature of the year, the average load per aircraft, approach speed and wingspan to determine “safety margins” for an airport.

“The FAA and PennDOT work closely on these,” Kelly said. “These evaluations are done every year to find the projections we feel are justifiable.”

He said the extension will allow pilots to travel farther than they can currently, as they will be able to fill their aircraft's reserve fuel tank.

Pilots are now limited in how much fuel they can carry because of the runway's length.

Geyer said many other enhancement projects have been completed or are ongoing at the airport.

Those projects include:

Moving the office from a hangar at the west end of the property to the main building near the entrance;

Signing a five-year lease with Serventi's Ristorante;

Moving the High Flight Academy, complete with an aircraft and flight simulator, into the former office;

Meeting with Butler County Community College officials regarding potential aviation classes that could be offered in the future;

Working to add a public trail from the airport to Succop Nature Park at Route 8 and Airport Road through a potential Greenways grant; and

Initiating a marketing committee to publicize airport activities.

“They are really creating a lot of positive visibility for the airport,” Geyer said of the committee.

Geyer, a former flight attendant with US Air and an aviation enthusiast, said she was excited to join the airport authority's board of directors.

“I asked to be on it because it really bothered me to see the airport being underutilized,” she said.

Kelly said the authority also has leased land and hangars to various entities, which is unusual for a small airport.

Those leases include a maintenance hangar used by the Allegheny Health Network for the LifeFlight helicopter, AirQuest Aviation, a construction company and a national industrial roofing company.

A handful of corporations also are leasing ground at the airport where they plan to build either a hangar or offices, which would become the property of the authority once the lease expires.

Kelly said he appreciates the involvement of the commissioners in the airport.

“They've been very supportive,” Kelly said. “It's a win-win for the airport and the county.”

He said improving and upgrading the airport can only benefit the community because even more people will come into the county to do business and patronize restaurants and hotels.

“It's a very positive economic benefit to the county,” Kelly said.