Photo above – Surplus Program Manager Kaitlyn Westendorf officiates the draft order process for the 2019 Colorado Surplus Airport Equipment Sale.
The annual Colorado Surplus Airport Equipment Sale took place on August 22 with 13 participating Colorado public-use airports looking for a shot to purchase quality, used airport equipment. This year’s sale marked the first time in the sale’s history where equipment was offered by a total of three Colorado airports. This was also the first sale to take place at the Division’s offices following an equipment preview the day before.
A total of 33 pieces of surplus airport equipment were offered for sale by Denver International Airport (DEN), Colorado Springs Municipal Airport (COS), and Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport (BJC). Equipment available at the 2019 sale included runway snowplows, airport service vehicles, and airfield mowers. After it was all said and done, 10 airports walked away with a combined total of 16 pieces of well-maintained used airport equipment.
The Colorado Surplus Airport Equipment Program was developed to give Colorado’s smaller and less profitable public-use airports an opportunity to purchase affordable airport equipment used to maintain the safety and efficiency of their airports.
“It’s a unique program that not only helps airports affordably obtain quality equipment for their airports, it also significantly lessens the financial burden on the Colorado Discretionary Aviation Grant Program, allowing the Division to do even more to support other needed projects and programs that benefit Colorado’s entire airport system,” said Surplus Program Manager Kaitlyn Westendorf.
The Colorado Aeronautical Board unanimously approved an allocation of $250,000 in state funding for the FY 2020 surplus program. Colorado public-use airports received 80% funding toward the cost of their first pick of equipment, and 50% on their second and third picks. In total, there were $181,000 in sales. Of this, $122,000 was funded by the Division and matched with $59,000 by participating airport sponsors.
As always, the Division of Aeronautics greatly appreciates our collaboration with airports and their effort to make their surplus equipment available for sale to other Colorado airports.
