Philadelphia Municipal Airport will receive nearly $400,000 toward the construction of a terminal building through a federal Airport Improvement Grant awarded by the U. S. Department of Transportation.
The grant award was announced by Sen. Thad Cochran-Republican, of Mississippi.
Cochran, who sits at the helm of the Senate Appropriations Committee , helped allocate $391,177 toward construction of the building.
The municipal airport is one of 35 in the state to receive money through the federal Airport Improvement Program.
An architectural rendering and initial building plans by Waggoner Engineering for a new terminal were approved by the Board of Aldermen in 2013.
“Airports in Mississippi utilize this federal grant program to improve the efficiency and safety of their aviation facilities,” Cochran said. “I appreciate the fact that communities also use these improvements to increase the value of their airport facilities as economic development tools.”
Funding for the grants is drawn from the Airport and Airway Trust fund, which is supported by user fees, fuel taxes and other similar revenue sources. The Federal Aviation Administration oversees the AIP grant distribution.
Mayor James A. Young said the grant would enhance the appearance of the building and the city.
“It will be more appealing, more customer-friendly and more user-friendly,” Young said. “This will give businessmen who get off of private planes or visitors a nice building to come to. It will also give them a comfortable space while they are waiting for their plane.”
No timeline has been set for the construction of the new terminal.
Plans for the new terminal stem back to April 2013 when a professional service agreement was approved between the city and Waggoner as part of ongoing improvements to the airport including a runway extension and apron work.
Funding for the project would come from an annual Federal Aviation Administration grant that requires a 5 percent match by the city.
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