There’s been a lot of activity over the last year at the Perry Municipal Airport, and it hasn’t just been big things like the new 100×100-foot hangar and plans for the new runway.
A few more under-the-radar purchases have also been made recently for the airport, which City staff believes will make business conducted there more effective and efficient. The first item was a new plow truck, due to the older model falling into disrepair. City Administrator Sven Peterson says they looked around at a few options to replace the truck, but found a perfect match in a lightly-used truck from the City of Clive. The truck is equipped with a front plow, underbody scraper, wing, rear sander, and de-icer, which Peterson says will come in handy for snow removal at the airport. He adds, while the $54,000 price tag on the truck was more than the City intended to spend, everyone agreed it was a bargain they needed to jump on.
The other recent larger purchase was a used courtesy car, which became necessary after the previous vehicle was involved in a collision and totalled. Peterson says they found a 2013 Ford Fusion at Bob Brown Chevrolet in Des Moines for $10,500. It was purchased prior to official approval from the City Council due to needing an immediate replacement. The City staff feels it’s important to have the courtesy car for visitors, so they can spend time in town when they fly in and not just hang out at the airport.
Peterson says the recent purchases and projects at the airport show the City’s commitment to providing the service. “(There’s) a lot going on out at the airport, a lot of investment out at the airport. But again, as one of those critical assets that the community has, and we’re very lucky to have that airport. You know, many many years ago citizens actually voted to build an airport, and we’ve been maintaining that and been good stewards of that airport ever since. So (this is) just the latest wave of investment out there, and it will certainly pay off for us.”
The plow truck and courtesy car are both now in the airport’s possession and getting some early use. To learn more about this and other topics involving the City of Perry, click the link below to listen to the recent Perry Fareway Let’s Talk Dallas County program with Peterson.
https://www.raccoonvalleyradio.com/2019/11/19/lets-talk-dallas-county-11-19-2019-sven-peterson/