Airport gets a new plow

By on Thursday, December 22nd, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories

PENDLETON โ€“ The Eastern Oregon Regional Airport has a new plow. While the streets may be icy, the runways are clear, thanks to the purchase made possible by federal funds. City Manager Robb Corbett is impressed.

โ€œWhat used to take 16 hours to clear the runways took eight with the new snowplow,โ€ Corbett said. โ€œItโ€™s an incredible piece of machinery and itโ€™s going to serve us well into the future.โ€

Airfield Engineer Wayne Green said the plow is a John Deere 744L front-end loader. It came with a standard utility bucket, but Green also ordered the optional 24-foot ramp bucket, which really increased the productivity when clearing snow. The plow is used to clear the primary runway and taxiway circuit as well as the commercial ramp.

โ€œItโ€™s amazing how efficient you can be when you have the right-sized equipment for the job,โ€ Green wrote.

The cost of the plow was covered by a grant directly to the airport from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which is also covering the cost of renovating the terminal.