By MEGHAN GLOVA
CENTRAL OREGON
Airport parking is not often ideal, but RDM is trying to fix it.
“We’ve had some problems with our parking lot overfilling,” said Fred Lelacheur, airport engineer at RDM.
The Redmond City Council Tuesday night is expected to approve the construction contract and engineering work to add 482 new stalls.
“We see 12, 13% growth monthly. So as that continues, we need to accommodate the passenger growth and make sure we have a good, safe airport,” he said.
RDM has not expanded its parking lot since 2005.
The new lot, which will be adjacent to the current lot, will be used for both travelers and employees.
RDM says the $2.5 million project is much-needed because the airport has doubled its passengers in the last six years.
Just in the past year, the lot has been 100% full seven different times.
“On a few occasions in the past we’ve exceeded our parking lot. It’s full, and so that’s caused us to have to have some of the cars parked out on the adjacent streets around the airport. With this project that is gone,” Lelacheur said.
If weather permits, contractors would like to begin the project in the next four to six weeks and have it complete by the fall.
