Rep. Chris Collins,, R-Clarence, announced Monday the Genesee County Airport will receive two grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) totaling more than $1 million.
Genesee County Highway Superintendent said the funds are a nice windfall because he wasn’t sure if any new airport grant applications would be approved in 2013.
“That’s all new money. It’s for new projects,” Hens said.
The first grant, for $973,800, is for relocation of the airport’s apron. The apron is the area where planes are parked, unloaded, refueled and boarded.
The apron project includes 77,500 square feet of new pavement and reconstruction of 44,000 square feet of old pavement.
The second FAA grant, for $63,000, will cover the cost of designing a new taxiway leading to the T-hangar at the airport. That is on the west end of the airport, Hens said.
“Supporting local governments with the cost of maintaining, repairing and building critical infrastructure is an appropriate use of federal tax dollars,” Collins, R-Clarence, said in a news release.
“Local taxpayers send a lot of their hard-earned money to Washington and it is only proper that we get a share of it back to assist with projects that are important to our local communities,” he said.
The FAA usually provides funds for 90 percent of the cost of projects that improve safety and use of the airport. The state and county are responsible for 5 percent each.
The federal government does not reimburse for other airport projects such as Genesee County’s plan to build a new terminal. FAA funds for work at the airport this year will help the county as it prepares to build a new terminal because it has to expand its apron and tie-down area and build a new taxiway, Hens said.
The long-term plan for the airport is to move the tie-down area, remove several aircraft hangars and erect a new terminal to the west of the tie-down area. The new terminal will be closer to Saile Drive than the original.
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