9/6/12 Airport may get full funding for runway project

  • By Nick Sabo
  • September 6, 2012
  • 360
                        
Funding for the Holmes County Airport runway project has taken an unexpected turn. Airport authority president John Byler Thursday Sept. 6 informed the Holmes County Commissioners that funding to the tune of $4.8 million may be available from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) for a new runway. Just a month ago, the airport authority was anticipating funding for half the project. Byler said the airport must come up with a 10 percent match, or $480,000, if it is to secure the FAA funding. Currently, the airport authority has $441,000 that it can put toward the match. Byler and airport authority boardmember Larry Leppla told commissioners they are looking for outside funding to raise the remainder of the 10 percent match, plus $60,000 to $70,000 more for contingencies. “This will clean us out, as far as our reserve (funds) go,” Byler said. The FAA previously has been reluctant to put a dollar amount on how much they were willing to give the airport authority. It encouraged them to bid out the whole project in February of this year, but balked when the bids came in at over $4 million. Without putting a dollar figure on how much money they would provide, the FAA then told the airport authority to do half the project, promising an unknown amount of funding by late August. The airport authority awarded half the project to Fechco Engineering, who at, $1.89 million, was the low bidder. Fechco agreed to hold off on construction until late August in exchange for a $268,261 payment to cover costs associated with the delay. Fechco is still on board, Byler said. Fechco’s bid for the entire project, submitted earlier this year, was $4.1 million. The original engineer’s estimate for the project is $4.4 million. The county previously helped with airport funding, paying $25,000 per year until suspending the payment three years ago, airport authority treasurer Mary Hoxworth said. Commissioners Thursday said they are in support of the project and will help if they can. FAA funding comes from one big pot, Byler said, with a set amount of money shared between individual projects. Byler said he believes the $4.8 million became available after other projects dropped, or deferred, their requests for funding. If the airport authority is to receive the full funding, Byler said, it needs to apply immediately. Leppla said this may be the last opportunity to finish the runway project for a long time. “It’s probably do or die right now,” Leppla said. Byler said whether the airport authority does apply largely hinges on getting enough to cover the 10 percent match. However, he said he is confident the project will get done, one way or another. The total project calls for removing the current runway and relocating it 140 feet to the south. The new runway will be 4,400 feet long, up from 3,500 feet, and its foundation will require extensive back-filling.


Loading next article...

End of content

No more pages to load