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Only three vote against borrowing $2 million for Smithers airport expansion

The 30-day AAP ended Tuesday, with three people voting against borrowing $2 million for the Smithers airport expansion.
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The Smithers Regional Airport expansion is scheduled to be completed in April 2019.

The 30-day alternative approval process (AAP) ended Tuesday, with only 3 registered voters putting in their disapproval of borrowing $2 million for the Smithers Regional Airport expansion.

That means out of 3,885 registered voters in town, .007 per cent used the AAP. It requires 10 per cent under provincial rules to stop a borrowing bylaw to go through.

Smithers council chose the AAP over a referendum to spend less money on resident approval. Town CAO Anne Yanciw said the borrowing bylaw will go to council for its final fourth reading in one of the next two council meetings, depending on when staff are able to draw up its report.

The $2 million is one-third of the $6-million budget, with the province and federal government splitting the other two-thirds. The borrowing cost is expected to be covered in the airport's budget through improvement fees.

Drawings by Moore Wilson Architects Inc. are expected to be completed by the end of this year. The Victoria-based company was awarded the architectural and engineering contract for $465,900 at the June 28 council meeting.

Construction is scheduled to begin in April 2017, with project completion by April 2019.