Runway design grant gets OK

With funding now in place, the final design phase can begin for the planned renovation of Portland Municipal Airport. 

After that, the project can be bid out and construction can start. 

At its meeting Wednesday, Portland Board of Aviation learned that the airport had received a $150,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to pay for the second phase of the runway extension design. 

The board also heard that an event allowing kids to fly for free has been rescheduled. 

Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman told the board over the summer that it would receive the grant, but had to wait until FAA officially announced the grant before taking its next steps. The list of grant recipients was released Sept. 12 and Portland’s grant was officially accepted by the city Tuesday. 

It will fund the second phase of design for the runway extension, which will take the runway to 5,500 feet from the current 4,000 feet.

“That funds basically the rest of the design, so the runway extension will be ready to bid in the spring at the latest,” said Butler, Fairman and Seufert employee Jason Clearwaters. 

The city and Indiana will each have to pay $8,333.33 in matching funds for the grant. 

As for the actual renovation and construction, funding could come from a $1 billion fund set aside for rural airports in the federal omnibus spending bill.

The board is planning to apply for a grant from that supplemental funding in 2019 and will have to submit a letter of intent by Oct. 31. 

Until the extra $1 billion was announced earlier this year, the plan was to pay for the renovation with traditional FAA grants, which require a 5-percent match from both the city and the state. 

But the supplemental funding would not require a match.

“Based on our estimate, it could save about $150,000 in local funds,” Clearwaters said after the meeting. 

The board will have a conference call with other city officials and the FAA to prepare for its letter of intent and grant application. FAA representatives are also planning a visit to the airport later this fall. 

Also on Wednesday, the board heard that a youth flying event that was previously rained out has been rescheduled. 

During the airport’s annual fly-in breakfast scheduled for Aug. 25, pilots from the Experimental Aircraft Association had planned to offer free rides to children ages 8 to 17. The event was canceled because of rain. 

The rescheduled event will take place starting at 9 a.m. Sept. 29 at the airport, and will likely go until 1 p.m. Aviation board president John Lyons estimated the pilots, who donate their fuel and planes for the event, will be able to offer about 120 rides that day. 

Children must have a parent or guardian present to sign a waiver. There will be hot dogs and drinks available. 

In other business, board members Dick Baldauf, Mitch Sutton, Faron Parr and Lyons:  

•Agreed to rent a house to Air Methods for its pilots to use. The house, located next to the airport, was purchased for the airport by the City of Portland. 

•Heard that Sutton, Lyons and airport manager Hal Tavzel will be attending the Aviation Indiana Conference Oct. 9 through 11. 

•Paid claims of $7,379.52.

•Learned the airport sold 5,589.37 gallons in August for $23,029.66.