Rancher Offers Funds For Airport Expansion

A part owner of the St. Louis Cardinals believes that if a small airport in Wyoming builds a longer runway, people will come to his nearby guest ranch in neighboring Colorado. In fact, David Pratt is willing to pay $1.11 million for improvements to the Dixon Airport as long as they include boosting the runway length to 7,000 feet from the current 5,500. Pratt wants to make it more convenient for guests to get to the ranch, many of whom face a 75-minute drive from the nearest large airport in Hayden, Colo. The Colorado ranch owner is also willing to give the taxpayers of Wyoming $50,000 worth of land to accommodate the runway extension and cover matching grants that would normally come out of the local county coffers. The FAA will provide $1.35 million and the state is kicking in $342,632. Pratt is also pledging to build a fueling service, hangars and a lounge in Dixon. Pratt’s ranch provides hunting and fishing tours.