Colorado Springs airport receives $400,000 state grant

The Colorado Springs Municipal Airport has received a grant from the Colorado Department of Aviation's Division of Aeronautics for snow removal.

In 1991, state legislation designated that aviation fuel taxes be funneled back to the state's public-use airports.These charges come from the Federal Aviation Administration fee attached to each ticket purchased, which is collected by airlines and then remitted to the airport where the passenger originated, Shanahan said.After the state grant is applied to the purchases, the remaining $900,000 will be funded by passenger facility charges.The equipment - in the airport's snow removal equipment and fleet program - slated for replacement this year are a front-end loader for snow removal, a runway plow truck and a runway snow blower, which will cost $1.3 million.Since then, 65 percent of those taxes have been returned to airports in the form of regular entitlement funds. And through the Colorado Discretionary Grant Program, the remaining 35 percent of tax revenue has been used for capital equipment, maintenance and developmental needs for airports.

Since then, 65 percent of those taxes have been returned to airports in the form of regular entitlement funds. And through the Colorado Discretionary Grant Program, the remaining 35 percent of tax revenue has been used for capital equipment, maintenance and developmental needs for airports.

Unplowed Crags? Colorado Springs' springs? Mystery webmaster

The Crags is one of the most popular hikes in the Pikes Peak region, especially in winter. A new parking lot was installed, as well as improvements made at the trailhead and campground. The road in winter, however, is only plowed to a point about a quarter mile past the Mennonite camp, leaving an additional mile or so of unplowed road to reach the new parking lot (also unplowed). This stretch of road can be treacherous, and cars often get stuck and stranded. Who is responsible for maintaining the road to The Crags trailhead?

- James RobertsSeveral services like WHOIS are purchased to hide the identity of or offer privacy to the website owner/operator. All e-mail requests go to those proxy/forwarding sites instead of the webmaster. The identity of this webmaster is masked but you could try the telephone number. Is it a real estate firm, a spammer, a sales office of some sort or what?Mystery webmasterThose who had seen one lane of the road plowed in the past were probably unaware that this was done by a private citizen who owns the land at the end of the road. Other private owners plow their portions of the road.ANSWER: Not stupid at all. There were at least three springs in Monument Valley Park but a flood in 1935 wiped them all out.Send questions to linda.navarro@gazette.comWhere are Colorado Springs' springs?"We plow no Forest Service roads anywhere. It's impossible because of the cost," according to Frank Landis, recreation staff officer for Pikes Peak Ranger District.This may seem like a stupid question, but, where are the springs in Colorado Springs? We have seen the springs in Manitou Springs, but were there any for Colorado Springs?ANSWER: In short, no one maintains the road in the winter when it is typically snowed in. The parking lot and The Crags are on Pike National Forest land.However, Landis said the unplowed road is extremely popular with cross country skiers.The folks at the Forest Service agreed with you that this road can be really treacherous in the winter and requires high wheel clearance for anyone who wants to chance it.- JPPFor example, the Pike and San Isabel National Forests, Cimarron- Comanche National Grasslands, which are officially grouped together, have nearly 3 million acres. Pike alone has 1.1 million acres.--- Dave B.ANSWER: Cindy K. Eberle of Web-Feat Web Design & Graphics also zeroed in on "WHOIS" but said stratmoorhills.net "seems to be made private. Some will give full names and contact information."

Send questions to linda.navarro@gazette.com

Sectional snow plow for smaller equipment

Sectional Sno-Plow LD plows are compatible with several types of lighter-duty equipment including backhoes, skid steers, compact loaders, and tractors. Designed by an experienced snow and ice management contractor, the LD snow pushers are ideal for facility managers looking for a productive solution for inactive equipment during winter. The patented steel moldboard design is made up of 32-inch-wide individual sections, each featuring spring-loaded trip edges. The separate sections move independently of one another, allowing the plow to contour to the surface and scrape snow and ice out of dips and recessions, all while moving up and over raised objects. Designed for equipment weighing less than 15,000 pounds, the LD plows are available in four sizes. ARCTIC SNOW AND ICE CONTROL PRODUCTS, 888.242.3766, WWW.SECTIONALPLOW.COM

How to Sealcoat a Big Job in a Short Time

DSJH Asphalt Sealcoating tackles 300,000 sq. ft. jobs with a small crew

The crew used Billy Goat blowers to remove debris from the parking lot. They blew out cracks with an air compressor and used a Marathon Equipment Inc. oil-jacketed melter and MAIO banders to apply double tar applications to the cracks. "The pavement was only about seven years old so it wasn't in too bad of shape," LaVerdi says. Once the surface was clean the crew edged the parking lot with a layer of sealcoat, LaVerdi says.The remaining 108,000 sq. ft. of parking lot was sealed in mid-June. Since the office complex was not closed down, D&H had to use traffic cones to block and reroute traffic while working. "We took portions of the parking lot and worked on one at a time," LaVerdi says of the remaining area. He and his crew used the same prep and application process as on the first part of the job.D&H used a 700-gal. Seal-Rite sealcoating tank and 80/70 USA Tips spray tips to spray apply two coats of Star sealcoat. Because of hot temperatures, work started at 6:00 am and was finished by 2:00 p.m. each day. LaVerdi applied the one coat the first day and the second coat the next day. He was able to apply 4,000 gal. in just three and a half days, he says.In Spring 2010, the company took its four-person crew to complete a 300,000-sq.-ft. office complex parking lot sealcoat application in Scran ton, PA. But the challenge wasn't tackling such a large job with a small crew. LaVerdi and crew had to complete 192,000 sq. ft. of the job over the Memorial Day weekend. "I've done big jobs before," LaVerdi says, "but not in such a short time frame. And I've never put down that much sealcoat in one weekend."D&H Asphalt Sealcoating has been in business for 14 years, and co-owners Mark LaVerdi and Donna Haggerty have kept the company small. But that hasn't kept them from pursing large jobs.In that first portion of the job, the entire area being sealed was bordered by curbing, which the crew had to be extra careful around. While LaVerdi sprayed the lot another crew member followed along holding a spray shield to prevent any overspray on the curb.The job called for a double sealcoat application. LaVerdi and crew prepped the job the night before sealing. Since it was a holiday weekend, traffic control was not an issue.The Wilkes Barre, PA, company offers sealcoating, crackfilling, line striping, and snow plowing with 60% of the customers being on the residential side and the other 40% commercial, LaVerdi says."For being as large as it was, the job went super smooth," LaVerdi says.The sealer mix also contained a microflex additive to keep the sand suspended and to help the sealer dry quicker, LaVerdi says. The mix contained 3 Vi lbs. of sand per pound of sealer.

"For being as large as it was, the job went super smooth," LaVerdi says.

Crews plowing 20 feet of snow on Trail Ridge Road

Crews trying to clear Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park by Memorial Day are plowing their way through more than 20 feet of snow at spots. Park officials said Tuesday that plow operators are dealing with some of the deepest snow seen along the route in years.

Top Online Sales of Skid Steer Attachments

Skid steer attachments have a variety of shapes, sizes, and functions. In fact, there are a few hundred different skid steer attachments available on the market. But there are three skid steer loader attachments that are often the best sellers for most skid loader attachment dealers. Any dealers who also sell skid steer loader attachments online also have their top sellers.

The most popular of the skid steer loader attachments is by far the forks, or pallet forks. They allow your skid steer loader to function as a forklift. They are great for moving pallets, which landscapers love, because they receive sod deliveries on large pallets. Roofing shingles and drywall can also be removed from delivery trucks and moved to their proper location with pallet forks, which the contractors appreciate. Rather than hand carry rolls of sod, drywall, and shingles, with pallet fork skid steer loader attachments, the contractors can just drive the pallet to its proper location.The little backhoe � the bucket and arm � is the third most popular of the skid steer loader attachments. It is popular because it can do nearly all the work of a regular backhoe, but at a fraction of the cost. While it may not be suitable for digging deep or large holes, like basements and commercial building foundations, the little backhoe can handle most other digging jobs. The little backhoe can dig ditches and trenches for power lines and water lines. And if you add the optional thumb attachment, you can pick things up, similar to the grapple, and carry them to another part of the work-site.The grapple is often used for anything that cannot be balanced or held on the pallet forks. While it is not advisable for using it to move live trees � the tree could slip and become damaged in the grapple's grip � it is great for moving anything else that would normally be moved by hand, by pallet forks, or by a bucket and thumb attachment.While sales of skid steer attachments will vary throughout the year, depending on the season (snow plows and snow blades sell more in the fall and winter), the pallet fork, grapple, and little backhoe tend to be the best-selling skid steer loader attachments throughout the year.Many outdoor businesses, like lumber mills and storage facilities, will use pallet forks and a skid steer loader for moving items around the storage yard. Sometimes, the skid steer loader can be used indoors in a pinch, as long as the warehouse is well-ventilated. But because it is a diesel or gasoline powered engine, it cannot be used inside for very long because of the danger of fumes.Pallet fork skid steer loader attachments can also be used to pull stumps out of the ground, move heavy logs and large rocks, and collect and lift brush, which makes it a fair replacement for a grapple. They are even used for digging trenches. Contractors will remove one of the pallet fork skid steer loader attachments, and drag the other one along the ground. This will dig a quick and easy trench for laying plumbing pipework or electrical wires and cables.

While sales of skid steer attachments will vary throughout the year, depending on the season (snow plows and snow blades sell more in the fall and winter), the pallet fork, grapple, and little backhoe tend to be the best-selling skid steer loader attachments throughout the year.

2011 World Class Customer Service Awards: Stepping Up

How Cleveland Marriott East makes above and beyond service the norm

That's when Shopnick swung into action. Parker's college recruiting manager, Mike Klein, picks up the rest of the story.It was shaping up to be a very bad day for Parker Hannifin Corp. until Keith Shopnick, general manager at Cleveland Marriott East, literally plowed through the brutal snow and cold to make it all better. The problem was a brutal winter storm that was wreaking havoc throughout Northeast Ohio.It's extra effort like that that keeps clients coming to Cleveland Marriott East over and over again. Shopnick recognizes that people have other viable options for their hotel needs when they come to the Cleveland area, but when service is provided that is above and beyond what's expected, such as with Parker's recruiting event, it's a lure to think of Cleveland Marriott East first the next time they need those services."In spite of the terrible winter storm, Keith offered the use of his personal vehicle, and he also contacted a personal friend living near the hotel that owned a large SUV," Klein wrote in a letter to the hotel. "Between Keith's vehicle, his friend's SUV and the two Parker chaperone vehicles, they were able to quickly transport all of our candidates to Parker's corporate headquarters and prevent any major delays with our recruiting event."HOW TO REACH: Cleveland Marriott East, (216) 378-9191 or www.marriott.com"Their service is what brings me back to the Cleveland Marriott East," writes Klein in his letter. "I know I can depend on the hotel team for superior service and be confident my events will run smoothly."Unfortunately, the company expected to bring these people to Parker failed to show and a replacement vehicle was nowhere to be found.

HOW TO REACH: Cleveland Marriott East, (216) 378-9191 or www.marriott.com