SECTION 25:15-1-3. Planning

(a)   Planning and Programming Process.

(1)   The Commission staff shall, in consultation with airport sponsors, prepare and maintain the Oklahoma Airport System Plan. The Commission shall adopt and approve changes to the plan.

(2)   The Commission staff shall assist publicly owned, publicly used airports in identifying airport needs and deficiencies. Airport sponsors eligible to participate in grant programs are sponsors of publicly owned, public use airports included in the Oklahoma Airport System Plan. The Commission staff shall, in consultation with each airport sponsor, prepare and maintain an airport development worksheet for each airport included in the Oklahoma Airport System Plan. The airport development worksheet shall be reviewed and updated at least once every three years. The airport development worksheet shall identify the capital projects needed at the airport over a 20 year planning horizon, together with the estimated cost, construction type, objective code, and airport component for each project. The identified projects shall be consistent with the service level, functional classification, design standard, and airport reference code identified for the airport in the Oklahoma Airport System Plan.

(3)   The Commission staff shall, in consultation with airport sponsors, prepare and update annually the Airport Construction Program. The Commission shall approve the Airport Construction Program.

(b)   Airport Construction Program Content.

(1)   The Airport Construction Program shall contain a list of proposed State and FAA funded projects that can be implemented with forecast revenues within the five year programming horizon.

(2)   Projects included for an airport in the Airport Construction Program shall be consistent with service level, functional classification, design standard, and airport reference code identified for the airport in the Oklahoma Airport System Plan.

(3)   The Airport Construction Program shall show the proposed sources of funding for each project.

(4)   The Airport Construction Program shall show the proposed implementation schedule for each project.

(5)   The Airport Construction Program shall include other priorities, policies, and procedures as adopted by the Commission.

(c)   Airport Construction Program Projects.

(1)   To be included in the Airport Construction Program a project must be eligible to receive airport grant funding from OAC. To be eligible a project must be conducted on active public-use areas of an airport or to support those public-use areas of an airport. Types of projects considered eligible are listed below:

(A)   Maintenance: this type of work is limited to pavement maintenance of runways, taxiways, and aprons and can include routine cleaning, filling, or sealing of cracks/joints, maintenance of pavement drainage systems, patching pavement, and remarking of the above mentioned pavement areas. Items not considered maintenance are applying herbicide to prevent grass encroachment, mowing of airport grass, FOD sweeping, replacing light bulbs, replacing light fixtures due to damage from a manmade source, re-topping of trees that had been previously topped in an OAC project, and other similar type activities.

(B)   Rehabilitation: this type of work is a more comprehensive restoration of an item to its original functionality. Items such as pavement sealcoats, overlays, replacement of an entire set of lighting fixtures would be considered rehabilitation.

(C)   Reconstruction: this type of work is a complete restoration of an item to its original functionality once it has reached the end of its useful life. This results in a virtually new piece of pavement, electrical system, or building.

(D)   New Construction/Installation: this type of work would construct new pavement such as a runway widening or extension, hangar taxiway area, or apron expansion, or construct new structures such a terminal building, or construct new drainage structures to support the removal of water from the airport. This work item would also include the installation of new navigational aids that weren't previously at an airport such a precision approach path indicator, runway edge lighting, omnidirectional approach light system, weather observation system, or similar item.

(E)   Planning/Design: this type of work includes the engineer design and associated support work with any of the eligible project types. This could also include planning projects such as master plans, airport layout plans, specialty planning studies, and obstruction/approach surveys.

(F)   Off-airport: this type of work is typically for the support of on-airport operations. This work item could include items such as obstruction removal, land acquisition, drainage improvements, relocation of roads and utilities, installation of navigational aids, or similar projects.

(2)   The following are three basic tests that must be met to determine if a project is justified for inclusion in the Airport Construction Program:

(A)   The project advances OAC policy laid out in 3 O.S. § 85 and the adopted Oklahoma Airport System Plan. The basic goals and objectives in these polices include airport safety, security, and capacity, meeting FAA or OAC standards, preserving and improving airport infrastructure that is for the use and benefit of the public, airport planning, and other similar projects.

(B)   OAC must determine if there is an actual need for the project at the airport within the five-year horizon.

(C)   The project scope is appropriate. OAC must determine that all the elements of the project are necessary to obtain the project scope's overall goal. Any elements that do not meet this criteria must stand on their own separate merit and justification.

(3)   For a project to be considered for inclusion in the Airport Construction Program, the airport sponsor must submit a letter of interest to the Commission detailing the basic scope and estimated cost of the project that they want to have included in the Airport Construction Program.

(d)   Airport Construction Program Development.

(1)   The Airport Construction Program lists projects for which expenditures are expected to begin within the five year programming horizon.

(2)   On a two-year cycle, the Commission staff shall update the NPIAS needs database and the ADWS database (for Non-NPIAS airports). To update the Commission's database, sponsors will use FAA's Overall Development Objective (ODO) data sheet for each requested project.

(3)   The Commission staff shall evaluate projects in the NPIAS and ADWS databases and recommend projects for inclusion in the Airport Construction Program based on:

(A)   Airport system development priorities, policies, and procedures adopted by the Commission and/or the FAA.

(B)   Multi-year on-going projects that are currently identified in the approved Airport Construction Program will be given higher priority during the development of the Airport Construction Program.

(C)   The airport's pavement condition index, pavement life-cycle consideration as developed by the pavement management program.

(D)   The National Priority Rating System developed by FAA and included in FAA's Order 5100.39 titled "Airports Capital Improvement Plan".

(E)   The amount of aviation activity, the types of airplanes served, the numbers of based airplanes at the airport, and the population included in the airport's service area.

(F)   Other factors as may be relevant (for example, the services provided at the airport, the sponsor's demonstrated ability to maintain and operate the airport, the sponsor's ability to address safety inspection deficiencies, etc.)

(G)   An emergency project request, with verifiable justification, may be submitted to the Commission for inclusion in the Airport Construction Program at any time.

(4)   The five year programming horizon of the Airport Construction Program shall be broken down into three general time periods (Appendix A): near-term program, transition year, and the extended program.

(A)   Near-term program: This shall be the current year plus years two and three. Projects in this time period are considered to be of low flexibility.

(B)   Transition year: This shall be year four. Projects in this time period are considered to be of moderate flexibility.

(C)   Extended program: This shall be year five. Projects in this time period are considered to be flexible.

[Source: Added at 14 Ok Reg 2844, eff 7-11-97; Amended at 21 Ok Reg 2959, eff 7-25-04; Amended at 29 Ok Reg 451, eff 5-11-12; Amended at 29 Ok Reg 451, eff 5-11-12; Amended at 33 Ok Reg 1143, eff 9-11-16; Amended at 35 Ok Reg 735, eff 9-14-18; Amended at 37 Ok Reg 934, eff 9-11-20]