Moriarty Municipal Airport is the latest recipient of Local Economic Development Act funding from the New Mexico Economic Development Department. The money will be used to help upgrade the airport’s waterline.
The department announced Wednesday that it committed $283,000 of the $383,000 required for the waterline project. The airport has over 75 hangars that support the aviation industry and they are in demand, said Moriarty Mayor Ted Hart.
“Our airport is the third busiest in New Mexico and visitors fly in from all over the world,” Hart said in a statement. “In fact, we have a waiting list of people and businesses that want to move their hangars to the Moriarty airport. The completion of the waterline will allow these plans to move forward.”
The announcement is the state’s second LEDA initiative to the city of Moriarty in the first quarter of 2021. Business First reported in August that aerospace company Sceye plans to bring broadband Internet access to the whole state. The state kicked in $5 million in LEDA money along with $50 million in private investment to get the project off the ground.
“This is another example of innovative economic development policy,” Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham said in a statement. “Many urban centers already have infrastructure in place; smaller communities need state assistance to invest in the improvements necessary to attract shovel-ready projects.”
In total, more than 650 of the 1,917 jobs aided by the LEDA program so far in fiscal 2021 will be created by rural projects, according to the state’s LEDA commitments. Those jobs include Sceye’s expansion that will bring 140 jobs.
“Helping all communities achieve economic growth and sustainability is a key goal of our department,” Economic Development Secretary Alicia J. Keyes said in a statement. “We are pleased to partner with the city of Moriarty to improve the municipal airport so the facility can grow and create jobs.”
The LEDA program is used as a closing fund to grow existing New Mexico businesses and recruit others to the state. Business First reported this month on the state committing LEDA funding to local expansions like La Primera Tortilla Factory, Bueno Foods. LEDA funding also contributed to Netflix’s second massive, billion-dollar expansion at Albuquerque Studios.
“The Estancia Valley EDA is excited to partner with the state economic development department to provide the much-needed infrastructure to the Moriarty Municipal Airport. EDD’s regional economic development representative Max Gruner has been a tremendous asset in following through with the city of Moriarty to make this opportunity happen,” said Myra Pancrazio, executive director of the Estancia Valley Economic Development Association, in a statement.
https://www.bizjournals.com/albuquerque/news/2021/04/28/moriarti-airport-leda-funding.html