QUINCY -- Federal officials say Quincy Regional Airport will get a $150,000 grant for infrastructure projects next year, rather than the $1 million grant it had received for three consecutive years.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation provide infrastructure grants to airports where at least 10,000 passengers take flights in a calendar year. Quincy Regional Airport surpassed that threshold in 2012, 2013 and 2014, but it fell short last year.
Airport Director Marty Stegeman reported that 9,047 passengers took Cape Air flights from Quincy to St. Louis last year and Great River Aviation added 65 enplanements on charter flights, which also was down.
City officials were hoping the airport would be granted an exemption and still qualify for the $1 million grant, but Stegeman said a law changed in 2014 eliminated that possibility.
The $1 million in grant money earned in 2014 will continue to pay for runway, taxiway and security fence improvements this year.
"We've got the money to get those two projects completed," Stegeman said earlier this month. "We also should have some money left over to improve our security fence."
Tony Molinaro, a spokesman for the FAA, said Quincy would receive a $150,000 grant for infrastructure improvements next year.
Maintenance funds have been used to repair part of a runway where the surface was heaving because of freezing and thawing. A project launched last spring is realigning taxiways so they are perpendicular to runways to improve safety. Once complete, pilots will have a clearer view of any air or runway traffic. A wildlife assessment also is being done at the airport.
Stegeman said the Quincy Aeronautics Committee has been following a long-range plan for the past several years, completing large projects at the airport. The smaller grant will slow work on big projects, but he describes the airport as being in good condition.
Original article can be found here: http://www.whig.com
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