Runway construction is scheduled for late February at Redmond Airport, which had to close in 2016 for similar work, shown here. (Andy Tullis/Bulletin file photo)

REDMOND —

On a warm afternoon last week, employees of the Knife River construction company were busy repaving a portion of runway 5-23, the main runway at Redmond Airport. For the time being, operations have shifted to the secondary runway, and the repairs are not affecting the flow of traffic to and from Central Oregon’s only commercial airport, according to Airport Director Zachary Bass. But starting May 2, that will change, when the airport will close for 21 days for a resurfacing project.

“This doesn’t happen very often,” Bass said. “For a three-week period, this might happen every 50 or 60 years.”

The $18.5 million project, which is funded through the Federal Aviation Administration dollars and state grants, will have no direct cost to taxpayers in Central Oregon. However, the true impact of the closure, for businesses in Central Oregon that rely on tourism and manufacturing, has yet to be determined.

“We’ve never faced anything like this before,” said Alana Hughson, president and CEO of the Central Oregon Visitors Association.

According to Bass, 2,595 takeoffs and landings, ranging from commercial air service to freight aircraft, will not occur as normally scheduled during the three-week period where both runways are out of commission. According to a 2014 report from the Oregon Department of Aviation, Redmond Airport directly created 517 jobs, and generated more than $14 million in yearly spending at the airport as well as adjunct businesses such as car rentals, in 2012.

Jason Neff, deputy director of central services for the city of Redmond, said the closure will cost the airport around $360,000, including $130,000 in car rentals, which the city incorporated into its budget for the year.

“It’s a one-time expense,” Neff said.

Because of the unique nature of the project, data on the impact to businesses in Central Oregon that rely on the airport for bringing visitors and raw materials into the region are hard to come by. Given the size of the project, however, Bass said the airport made an effort to mitigate the effect on the region as much as possible. Starting in early 2015, Redmond Airport brought together a 13-member task force, involving tourism and manufacturing leaders, to discuss ways to lessen the effect.

On the tourism side, Hughson credited the decision to close the airport during late May, as late spring tends to be one of the lightest periods for tourism in Central Oregon. In 2014, transient room tax collections from Bend totaled $423,454 in May, just over half of the figure from July of the same year. Additionally, Hughson said the closure was structured to exclude Memorial Day, which is typically a strong weekend for tourism.

“If we had lost Memorial Day weekend, that would be a real kick in the fanny,” Hughson said.

Tom O’Shea, managing director for Sunriver Resort, wrote in an email that, because he was made aware of the closure well in advance, the resort was able shift its focus. Rather than focusing on large groups and convention businesses that would have to fly to the region, O’Shea wrote that the resort tried to attract visitors from markets within driving distance, such as Portland and Eugene. As a result, bookings for the upcoming month are in line with numbers from May 2015.

“Overall, we are very happy about the upgrades being made to the Redmond Airport runways even if they do temporarily impact our business,” O’Shea wrote.

Hughson said the largest tourism-oriented event for Central Oregon in May is the U.S. Bank Pole Pedal Paddle, an annual multi-sport relay race from Mount Bachelor to Bend that will be held May 21, near the end of the construction. Molly Cogswell-Kelley, the event’s organizer, said the closure of the airport has not significantly affected registration for the race.

“If we were going to see an impact, we would have seen it by now,” Cogswell-Kelley said.

She added that the race attracts 2,800 to 3,200 contestants in a typical year, mostly from the surrounding region. As of Wednesday, around 1,700 racers had registered, with more to come. Because the race involves so much gear , Cogswell-Kelley said most contestants drive, lessening the impact of the shutdown somewhat.

For manufacturing companies, Jon Stark, Redmond manager for Economic Development for Central Oregon, said some of the Federal Express and UPS parcels that would have left from Redmond will use ground transport instead. Kevin Eldredge, director of sales and marketing for the Redmond-based manufacturer Lancair International Inc., called the closure “annoying,” but said it wouldn’t affect the company’s bottom line. Additionally, he said the company was informed well in advance of the closure.

Travel arrangements for workers were the biggest challenge for Deschutes Brewery. Jason Randles, digital marketing manager for the brewery, said Deschutes’ food offerings and beer distribution would not be affected by the airport closure but added that the company is planning to send several employees to events on the East Coast, including the annual Craft Brewers Conference in Philadelphia. The conference, which Deschutes co-sponsors, begins May 2.

“We have a lot of people driving to Portland to catch flights in May,” Randles said.

The Redmond Airport closure also means Bend Municipal Airport will take on an increased role as a hub for private airplanes and freight transport. Companies like UPS and Les Schwab Tire Centers will be shifting some of their smaller aircraft to Bend, according to Gary Judd, the Bend airport’s manager. Judd said the increase will be relatively small, with only three to four aircraft from the companies moving down to Bend, but it will have an impact on the airport’s daily operations.

“Anything that adds to the mix is going to make it a little more of a challenge,” Judd said.

He added that the plan was to move the freight airplanes to the main ramp near the center of the airport. Additionally, Judd said the airport is encouraging private plane owners who have extra hanger space in Bend to accommodate additional visiting aircraft.

Unlike larger airports, Bend’s airport lacks a tower, meaning that pilots flying in and out don’t have any contact with the ground during their approach, which Judd said is an adjustment for pilots who aren’t used to the airport.

The Bend airport already has around 137,000 takeoffs and landings per year, according to its website, which makes it the third-busiest airport in Oregon by some metrics. While there has never been a midair collision between aircraft, he said several pilots have reported close calls in the past.

“They absolutely have to have their head on a swivel,” he said.

— Reporter: 541-617-7818,

shamway@bendbulletin.com