Braden Airpark Sale Up For Debate

Forks Township supervisors will discuss Braden Airpark future at Thursday night meeting.

Braden Airpark is on the agenda. The Forks Township Board of Supervisors will once again discuss the topic of the Sullivan Trail airport's potential sale at its meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday. Township officials briefly discussed the airport at its recent work session, pondering whether they should reach out and express their views to the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority, which is exploring selling its properties. "Do we want to consider any action?" Supervisors Chairman Erik Chuss asked. That action could include sending a letter to the airport authority or inviting the authority to come before the board to discuss its plans for the parcel, which is currently zoned for recreation, education and municipal purposes. "I want to see the sale …

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Braden Airpark Up for Sale?

If Braden Airpark is sold, Forks Township officials have say in how the 80 acres will be developed.

Forks Township will have a say in Braden Airpark's future. Township officials stated that despite the Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority exploring selling its properties, including the Sullivan Trail airport, any development must be approved by Forks Township. At a recent Board of Supervisors meeting, Chairman Erik Chuss stated that while Forks will have no say in a sale of Braden Airpark, officials can control the usage of the land. "Any proposal will be reviewed by the zoning and planning boards and then the supervisors," Chuss said. "All things will be considered in terms of uses for the land. And we can voice our opinions." Supervisor David Billings hoped the airport authority would come before the supervisors and public to discuss …

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COMMUNITY FIRST

1:02 pm on Thursday, September 27, 2012

Forks Township property exempt from real estate taxes approaches ten percent of all township land. Think about it and what this costs the township in lost annual revenue to meet the cost of essential services to residents. Braden Airport’s 80 acres is situated in a prime location, bordered by a 23- acre township park and Lafayette’s Metzgar Fields along Sullivan Trail. This is the largest tax-…   more ›

Makeover for Braden Airpark in Forks?

Construction work being done at Forks Township location. New terminal building possible as well.

Go along Sullivan Trail in Forks Township these days and you're bound to see some sort of construction. Drive past the former Laneco supermarket and you'll see the new Park Plaza at Sullivan Trail rising from its ashes, a brand new center that already features an Easton Hospital wellness and health center and BounceU, a children-oriented recreation business. Drive a little farther down the street and you'll probably get caught up in the traffic pertaining to the installation of a traffic light at the Meco Road intersection. And then if you drive toward Stockertown, on the left right before the Weis Supermarket, you'll come across another construction site. For the past few months, work has taken place at the Braden Airpark. According to …

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September 11th Remembered

Braden Airpark On Alert For Sept. 11

The FBI and Homeland Security have issued a nationwide warning about al Qaeda threats to small airplanes, just days before the anniversary.

Sunday is a big day at Braden Airpark. The Forks Township facility on Sullivan Trail is holding its annual "Fly In,"  which has taken place the second Sunday in September for several years now. It just so happens that this Sunday is the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on America, and airports are being asked by federal authorities to be on high alert. "Absolutely," said Mary Joan Roth, who has worked at the airport for Moyer Aviation Inc. for the past seven years. She said the airport received notice Tuesday. "We're told to be aware of anything suspicious and that we should not take matters into our own hands." The FBI and Homeland Security have issued a nationwide warning about al Qaeda threats to small airplanes, just days …

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Braden Airpark To Receive $135,000 in Grant Money

Airpark among 18 throughout the state to receive funds.

Braden Airpark has been awarded $135,000 in grant money thanks to the state Department of Transportation's aviation development program. The Forks Township-based airpark is among 18 airports in the state that will receive some $4 million in funding, according to a news release. At Braden, the funds will go toward the third phase of a runway lighting and electrical vault project. “Aviation provides nearly 5 percent of Pennsylvania’s jobs,” Gov. Tom Corbett said in the release. “Investing in these improvements and safety measures helps those thousands of people do their jobs better, and will improve airport operations.” Funding for the aviation program comes from the state’s jet fuel tax and leverages more than $1.3 million in local matching…

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Braden Airpark getting new management

Firm will also handle Lehigh Valley International Airport.

Lehigh Valley International Airport  is headed for new management, the Express-Times is reporting. The Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority board of governors voted 12-1 today to hire AFCO AvPORTS Management LLC, a Dulles, VA firm that specializes in managing airports for a two-year contract starting at $325,000 next year. The authority also manages Braden Airpark in Forks Township and Queen City Airport in Allentown. The contract also calls for LNAA to pay the $142,000 annual salary for an onsite manager who will arrive here next month. All told, yearly management costs will fall just under $500,000. The agreement fills a void atop LVIA, which has had a vacancy at executive director since George Doughty resigned last August. “They bring a…

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Braden Airpark Offers Up Flight Lessons

Flying an airplane is like being in an ocean in the air

A plane taxis on the runway of the Braden Airpark in Forks Township. For most of us, the prospect of flying in an airplane can be exciting and exhilarating. For Vern Moyer, president of Moyer Aviation Inc. on 3800 Sullivan Trail for the past 30 years, it's just a part of life. "It's really rewarding to see people so excited about flying," Moyer said. "To us, it's just an everyday thing." For the second-straight year, Moyer is running "Aerocamp," an aviation camp where teenagers spend a week learning about airplanes -- from flight to navigation -- before getting a chance to earn their wings. On this morning, the pupils are gathered around two planes checking out the engines and getting ready to head into the clouds. Moyer is a veteran of …

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