The Union County Airport Authority (UCAA) is getting more than $300,000 in funding this year to make the airport safer.
In a press release Tuesday, U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown announced the airport would be getting $328,380 in federal funds. According to the release, the grant will go toward “acquisition of land for development to allow the airport to control compatible land use and to protect the airport from objects that would penetrate aeronautical surfaces.”
In the release, Brown noted that the airport supports tourism and commerce in Union County.
“This funding will improve the safety and efficiency of the airport so it can remain a reliable option for the county,” he was quoted as saying.
UCAA Board Chair John Popio said the money is coming from the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program, which the local airport has received money from every year. The program awards money to smaller, non-commercial airports to help improve safety.
This year, Popio said the money will hopefully go toward the acquisition of two pieces of land near the airport in an effort to prevent future problems for aircraft.
The first will be an upcoming Maronda Homes Development scheduled to be constructed to the northwest of the airport on Chestnut Street. According to Popio, the UCAA wants to buy up that land to create a sort of buffer zone.
He said during the permitting process for the development, the UCAA brought its concerns to the city. Popio said the city heard those concerns, but proceeded with the process anyway.
“We really have been trying to negotiate a land acquisition there,” he said.
The second parcel of land lies across the street from Crazy Burrito, between Colemans Crossing Boulevard and Industrial Parkway. Popio said owning this parcel would let the UCAA create a “runway protection zone,” which is a piece of land near the end of a runway meant to be vacant. This ensures there’s nothing to interfere with planes taking off or landing.
As it stands, the airport would have to appeal to the city to convince them that allowing construction at that site could cause problems for aircraft.
Popio called the annual grant “an important funding stream” for the county airport.
The grant received from the FAA requires the county to cover five percent of the total cost. Popio said, in the event that an entity fails to use all the money awarded, it carries over to the next year. He noted this carry-over only persists for three years of grant funding. Since the UCAA already has carry-over for the past two years, the county could be docked a certain amount if any of the grant is left going into 2018.
“Hopefully we will be able to provide the barriers that are important for the airport,” Popio said.