The Williamsport Regional Airport on Wednesday. KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Plans for a hangar at Williamsport Regional Airport have hit a snag due to a Montoursville Borough ordinance preventing construction in a flood area.

The issue, which came up during the recent meeting of the Williamsport Municipal Airport Authority, has drawn concern from private pilots who would use the structure.

Richard Howell, airport executive director, said the ordinance is clear that a variance cannot be issued for a non-residential building exceeding 600-square feet that is not waterproofed.

Airport attorney Scott Williams told the authority that it’s not easy to obtain a variance or exception to the ordinance.

Mike Bush, a private pilot, questioned if some kind of solution could be worked out.

“We are looking at what we can do,” Howell said. “The borough wants to make it work.”

One possible solution would be to build the structure, which would house 20 planes at the west end of the airport, at another site, he noted.

Construction has been scheduled to get under way next spring.

In other matters, Howell reported that the Montour Street project is progressing.

The plan to extend the street to the airport could amount to $5.9 million, about $1.5 million more than the original estimate.

“Hopefully, we can bring that cost down a little,” Howell said.

Streetscape additions and additional road work to allow for tractor trailer traffic clearances have driven up the costs.

For now, traffic counts and an environmental clearance have been completed, Howell said.

Howell reported that the CARES Act fund allocations for the airport amount to $737,687 this year, bringing the total allocation to nearly $4.35 million.

The authority met in executive session following the meeting to consider lease matters.

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