Polson airport will use grant funding for repairs
The Polson airport is receiving a grant from the federally funded Airport Improvement Program for $81,000 after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded over $1 billion in grants to 439 airports across all 50 states.
This, combined with the recently awarded $30,000 from the coronavirus relief CARES Act, will cover the costs of necessary repairs to the runway and taxiway at the airport. Also under the CARES Act, this grant does not require the airport to pay for any percentage of the project. Under usual circumstances, federal grants require airports receiving funds to match 10% of the project costs. However according to the FAA, eliminating the local share allows for crucial safety projects to continue as planned despite any financial hardships currently caused by the Coronavirus crisis.
Lake County Airports board chairman Rick Newman said because these grants do not require the airports to procure additional funding, he will actually be able to return a local match-money grant that the Polson airport was already awarded by the Montana Aeronautics Division.
“On this project that we’re currently working on this summer at Polson, (Montana) Aeronautics came up with 5% of the match money and then we were going to come up with the other 5%,” Newman explained. “But this CARES Act is now going to cover our full 10%. So the whole project is going to be fully funded by the FAA.”
He added that because the Polson airport no longer needs the money from the state-funded aeronautics division, those funds can go back into the program and assist a different airport in the future. Airports that are not recognized by the Federal Aviation Administration, such as St. Ignatius, will now have more state-funded grant opportunities.
As the financial backing gets sorted out for the Polson airport, Newman said the board has already gone through project bids and awarded the job to a construction company. He hopes the work can begin in July, but said no plans are set due to the uncertainties caused by the coronavirus.
The repairs are needed due to frost upheaval during the harsh winter Polson experienced two years ago. Previously two utility trenches were dug up, one on the runway and one across the taxiway, and then the concrete was filled back in over the new piping. However during that extreme winter weather, the frost heaving caused the ground to move, but the utility trenches stayed put, creating dips in the pavement where the utility lines run.
“So those two (trenches) didn’t move, but the runway did,” Newman said. “So we have a little bit of a trench or a dip and when you’re coming in landing or taking off, it’s pretty noticeable in an airplane.”
To use the grant for this project Newman has to submit paperwork, stating precisely what repairs will be made in order to receive the money. He also said the airport has up to four years to utilize the grants recently awarded under the CARES Act.
Reporter Whitney England may be reached at 758-4419 or wengland@dailyinterlake.com