REYNOLDSVILLE - The administrative building at DuBois Regional Airport will be getting a facelift. At yesterday's meeting, Clearfield-Jefferson Counties Regional Airport Authority authorized accepting a grant from the state Department of Transportation's Bureau of Aviation to rehabilitate the structure built in 1972.
Bob Shaffer, DRA manager, said the building "is in dire need of improvements" both on the exterior and interior and would not be eligible for funding from the Federal Aviation Administration. DOT's Aviation Development Program funds will pay 75 percent of the cost of the project, over three years. Shaffer said the project is estimated at $250,000. The authority is responsible to pay the remaining 25 percent.
The authority has received some preliminary documents pertaining to DOT's approval of the grant application and Shaffer asked the authority to give approval to accepting the grant and having Joel Peterson, chairman, and Jay Chamberlin, secretary/treasurer, execute and sign the documents on behalf of the authority.
Shaffer said he was requesting approval because the authority will only have 30 days to accept the grant and return the paperwork and the timing of the meetings could make it difficult to meet the deadline.
Authority members also heard a report from Mickey Bowman, vice president of essential air service for Gulfstream International Airlines, about the upcoming merger of Continental and United Airlines. Commercial air service at DRA is performed by GIA doing business as the Continental Connection. Bowman said in March the name Continental is going to go away and air service at DRA will be known as United Express. Travelers will not notice any change in service, he explained.
Bowman also provided a performance report and said GIA is at a 98 percent flight completion rate to date for 2011. He said the rate is one of the highest in the industry and is something of which the company is very proud.
Authority members told Bowman how much they appreciated the company's willingness to meet face-to-face with the authority and for the great reliable service it provides to DRA customers.
Shaffer also noted despite some recent reports, there is no reason to think the FAA will be discontinuing essential air service at DRA. He said there have been reports of essential air service subsidies for rural airports being halted by FAA. "Any current criteria that has been put into place does not apply to DuBois and we believe with the criteria we are seeing today that there are no issues and DuBois will not be closing."
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