SECTION -www.terracestandard.com- @ Cleaning up DONNY BELER of West Coast Cleaning tidies up inside the kidney dialysis unit now under construction at Mills Memorial Hospital. It’s due to apen in June and wili have six dialysis stations for patients throughout the northwest. Lease from °199 No Security Deposit Required or equivalent trada per mo./48 mo.lease, $2,800 down payment or Purchase to 17, 642 Financing - ey 5,g% oac it PAYS: 10 EAD THE FINE PRINT: Vahl mut my mt seen a shown Lets and | at 2003 Mai and ans Cal, and a fet 20nd Be ddr tut pe Runway plan hinges on WestJet scooping traffic © AIRPORT OFFICIALS are banking on at least 18,000 more people passing through their doors in order to finance a runway exten- sion without boosting fees. And they appear to be basing that at least partial- ly on the premise WestJet will begin service to Ter- race once the extension is complete. “We fully anticipate that WestJet will come to Terrace as they have sta- ted that once the runway exceeds 7,000 feel, they will be here,” the city’s representative on the air- port society said in a re- port to city council. “Their plans are to add one plane per month to their fleet and with that. they will need to find places to fly to,” said Ermie Dusdal, a loca! ac- countant, He said WestJet esti- mates Terrace airport pas- senger traffic will jump by 40 per cent provided it be- gins service here. On average, 90,000 people a year use the air- port. The airpot says it needs a 20 per cent passenger count increase to avoid raising fees if the runway extension goes ahead. That works out to 18,000 people. The WestJet 40 per cent figure used by Dusdal works out to an estimated 36,000 passenger jump. WestJet says it'll at- tract people who would otherwise use the Prince Rupert and Smithers air- ports and halt people who travel to Prince George for WestJet service. In all, airport officials are predicting they'll have to borrow $2.5 million to pay for adding 1,500 feet to the current 6,000 foot- long runway. Dusdal Jid note the air- port society does not want to and should not comple- tely tie itself to the for- tunes of WestJet to pay for the planned runway expan- sion. “With the longer run- way, there are possibilities of air freight development, potential to attract more European traffic, more mining companies to , Io- cate out of Terrdce as the larger planes ‘can’ land here, etc.,” he wrate. The airport society had an operating deficit in the order of $370,000 at the end of January, but Dusdal expects thal to drop sub- stantially by its March 31 year-end because of better weather. Extension plan AIRPORT OFFICIALS are now waiting for the design work to be done for a planned 1,500 foot extension to the main 6,000 foot runway. Airport manager Rick Reed said $40,000 has been al- located for the study which should be ready in early . April. The airport society says it does not have any commit- ments from airlines to start flying here if-the runway is extended, but Westjet has already told it it wouldn't consider service here without an extension, . The runway would cost an estimated $2.5 million, money the socicly is confident can be repaid by user fees from an increase in passenger traffic due to the ex- tension., Reed said an extended runway would fit well into overall plans to increase tourism. “We have great polential here for people to come here directly from the United States and Europe,” he said, “You look at Whitehorse and it has the Lufthansa charter arm, Condor, flying directly from Munich,” Reed SE at . “San, Lease from °199 No Security Deposit Required per mo./48 mo. lease, $2,910 down payment or equivatant trade Franc 5, Q% OAC or Purchase 1, 272. nee fies tr uli ofl custmers ‘nly on new 7003 adele ld and divered ater March 31, 2003, Lease mayen ri Sigg for the 2003 Matrix Base FAO, Manual, KAQZEMAA) based on 4B-rmonth walkaway lease , with $y 100 down, Tatal inte thtigations ave $12,362, Lease paymants af $198 for the ‘2004 Carull Suan CE, “Avtarnatit, BRBZEP(A) bused an 48-ranth walhaway luase with $2.10 dawn. Total levsa ebligalinns ate $1882, Lease payments af $199 far the 2003 Eche 4-door Sedan, Manual, BT123M{A) baved on GO-rwenth “ waleawity tea wilh $0 dawn. Tota fease chtigatiand tra $1iga0. Leasn paynnnts bined ma mixin af ai, DOO kon or 120, 000 ken far 2003 Eche Aton, Adtitona charges are 10¢/kn. License, inturance, tnd epplicatta taxes are extra, Purchese prita includes a maximum for freight and pre-telivery inspuction af $1,090 far ih Dea nly banal far wa, Seme canditinns apply, and ets ny jean without notice, See yaur participating Toyota BC Dealers for ruore details, ready soon added, ae That would mean aircraft such as Boeing 167s and 757s or Airbus types carrying anywhere from 250 to 300 people landing al Terrace. Having that many people either land or r take off at the same time would make things “a bit tight” at the airport, said Reed. In particular, the passenger secure waiting area can " hold that many people, Reed noted that (he Kelowna airport added several hundred feet to its runway and while it wasn’1 used for years, was welcomed when traffic. there began to build. One attraction to building the extension now is that money is cheap to borrow compared to other years, the manager added. The idea of smaller airports attracting larger aircraft is also taking root in other locations. The Cranbrook air- port also sees tourism development potential in having larger aircraft fly there directly from Europe and the U.S. Officials there are basing plans on a promise by Pre- mier Gordon Campbell for provincial assistance, per mo./60 mo. fease. $0 down payment Lease trom No Security Deposit Required or Purchase 14, 957 “ Financl an 3,.g%oac TOYOTA » the fevhay never eas TERRACE MOTORS ~ agi Highway 18 West, Terrace, Bc 260) 635-8558