The Chief of the Fond Du Lac Dene Nation says he and his community are pleased with a federal investment of more than $12 million for upgrades to the Fond Du Lac airport.
The money will be used for rehabilitating the asphalt on the runway, Taxiway A and Apron I; installing a precision approach path indicator system for the runway; replacing the runway and Taxiway A edgelights; and replacing Apron I floodlights.
“This means a lot to our people of Fond Du Lac. We’ve been kind of struggling with our runway since the 1970’s. Now this announcement can make a huge change for our people [and] air traffic safety.” said Chief Louis Mercredi.
That community was the site of a fatal plane crash in December 2017 killing one person and injuring many others. “It’s a long time coming, but the announcement is here that will give us a clear picture we are going to get our runway upgraded,” Mercredi explained.
The province is contributing $1.85 million for the rehabilitation of the runway. The money does not address lengthening and widening of the runway, which Mercredi estimates will cost an additional $17 million.
Mercredi says during initial negotiations the lengthening and widening was estimated to begin in 2020, but that time frame may be moved up, now with the federal money.