Oregon Department of Aviation (ODA) at Aurora State Airport (UAO) needed a new contract air traffic control tower. This tower is a new addition to a previously uncontrolled airport. Mead & Hunt completed the construction administration for this project. We provided initial tower siting services for planning at the airport and helped coordinate the Airway Facilities Tower Integration Laboratory siting for the tower. The design yields a cab floor of 53 feet and an eye height of 58 feet. This allows the tower to comply with line-of-sight and compliant sight angles for current and future runway extensions.
The design of the tower had two specific challenges. First, UAO is a general aviation airport, and ODA does not have maintenance staff available to attend to the tower. To combat this, sustainable solutions that reduce costs were a leading design focus.
The second challenge was the budget: ODA received $2.7 million for the design and construction of the tower from a State of Oregon grant. The design focused on providing the most economical solutions that meet the Contract Tower Minimum Equipment List without compromising quality. Throughout the construction process, we continued to provide cost controls and find innovated ways to improve the project.
