CASPER, Wyo. — At the recent Wyoming Airports Coalition annual conference, the Casper-Natrona County International Airport was honored with the award for the best project in the past year, while director of operations and maintenance Jake Hlavacek received a prestigious Aviation Achievement Award.

Hlavacek is responsible for overseeing multiple runways and taxiways, 5,150 acres of land and 125 buildings. Since 2022, he has led critical projects such as airfield electrical upgrades, the design of the Air Traffic Control Tower and the development of an Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting training facility. He was also instrumental in efforts to construct a quick turnaround facility for car rentals and enhancements to the airport’s infrastructure.

According to Casper-Natrona County International Airport Director Glenn Januska, Hlavacek has worn numerous hats for the local airport over the years. He began his tenure as an electrician but began rising through the ranks with strong work. He became a master electrician, then oversaw the airport’s maintenance and construction efforts.

Most recently, Januska said, he was placed in charge of the airport’s public safety department.

“There are those special people who show up to work every day with the mindset of, ‘How can I make this place better,'” Januska said. “Jake is one of those people.”

The airport also received the Project of the Year recognition for its Single Engine Air Tanker and Large Air Tanker Base that was completed earlier in the year.

The facility is an aerial firefighting base and includes advanced amenities for aircraft staging and refueling, significantly improving wildfire response efficiency across Wyoming and neighboring states. The base was funded by the Bureau of Land Management and National Forest Service, while the airport oversaw project design, planning and work. According to Januska, the facility is the first of its kind in the nation to be funded by the BLM and Forest Service and operated by only one entity. In this case, it’s the BLM that will run the base.

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(Submitted Photo)

“Getting the award for this is probably less about the construction of the project and more about how unique it is,” Januska said.

Already, Januska said, the base has shown how valuable it is to firefighting efforts in the state.

“Last year, the single-engine tanker saw about 34,000 gallons of fire retardant dropped,” Januska said. “This year, with the high levels of fire activity we’ve seen and the expanded base, we’ve dropped I think 356,0000 gallons, and 70,000 in one day.”

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