BURBANK AIRPORT ALMOST CLEARED FOR $107 MILLION IN IMPROVEMENTS.

Byline: JASON KANDEL Staff Writer

BURBANK -- A Bob Hope Airport finance committee gave the preliminary OK on Monday for a proposed $107.2 million budget -- 36 percent more than last year -- that includes nearly $70 million for facility upgrades and runway improvements.

The proposed budget for fiscal year 2006-2007, which begins July 1, includes nearly $12 million in reserves, which officials expect to use to help offset costs of making overdue upgrades. Last year's budget was $78.9 million.

``We're playing some catch-up to bring this facility up to date as much as we can,'' airport spokesman Victor Gill said. ``We're trying to take a facility with physical limitations and modernize it as best we can.''

The budget was discussed at a meeting of the Airport's Finance and Administration Committee.

The panel voted 3-0 to recommend the spending plan to the full nine-member Airport Authority, which is expected to vote on it this month or next.

The budget comes as record numbers of passengers are flying into Bob Hope.

Last year, the figure hit an all-time high of 5.5 million, surpassing the 4.9 million in 1995 and 2004. The increase is fueled by new arrivals from Delta Airlines and JetBlue flights.

The jump has led to a parking crunch, a problem officials are scrambling to fix. They are proposing $13 million for improvements to the airport's parking lot.

But no additional spaces are in the budget because the airport is bound by a development agreement signed last year with the city of Burbank that limits the number of spaces it can develop, Gill said.

Nearly $42 million is expected to go toward building, communications, equipment and security upgrades.

The budget also includes $9 million to repave the airport's two runways, a project expected to start within a month. Work will be done at night and won't affect flights, Gill said.

In July, work crews are expected to start a $6.4 million project to move a parking lot to free up space for a taxiway for general aviation and cargo planes.

Now, when some planes land they have to make a U-turn on the runway to return to their parking area, slowing the airport's overall operations, Gill said.

An additional $13 million will go toward repaving a parking lot, building and moving a roadway, and creating a valet-parking facility.

Nearly $14 million will go toward noise mitigation, a jump of 24 percent over last year. Some $10 million of that is slated to help insulate 200 homes underneath the flight path. Officials also plan to spend $1.2 million to upgrade monitors that pick up jet noise at 17 stations around the airport.

Burbank Mayor Todd Campbell, who had not seen the airport's budget as of Monday afternoon, was pleased to hear that more money could go toward noise mitigation.

``I think that with the growth of the airport ... there is an obligation (to make sure) that mitigation also increases to reflect those additional impacts,'' he said.

jason.kandel(at)dailynews.com

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