Airport up for $7.8 mil in 2006 funding

The U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 17 approved a provision that secures $5 million for the airport for fiscal year 2006.

The provision, approved by the Senate Oct. 21, allows the airport to continue receiving funding from the Federal Aviation Administration for the construction of its midfield terminal project. The airport has received about $7 million in federal funds for the project, set for completion in 2009 or 2010. The terminal will alleviate heavy passenger loads – up 23 percent for the year – and help meet increasing demand for commercial travel felt by the airport in recent years.

Airports that recently became small hub primary airports – such as Springfield-Branson Regional – no longer can receive FAA funding, but the provision waives the restriction for the next three fiscal years. The secretary of Transportation will determine additional funding on a case-by-case basis.

The provision is tied to the 2006 Transportation-Treasury-Housing and Urban Development spending bill, which includes an additional $2.8 million in federal funding for the airport.

Director of Aviation Gary Cyr said the money would be used for preliminary work at the site of the new terminal, including grading, drainage, utilities and environmental prep work.

The money will not officially go to the airport, though, until the FAA has approved the business plan for the new terminal.

“We were waiting to see what would be allocated for this year to put that together,” Cyr said. “It will need to be concurred with by the city and approved by the FAA before we get any of the funding. We’re anticipating taking our business plan to the FAA no later than January, and we’re going to be doing a lot of homework in the meantime.”

Congressman Roy Blunt, who worked on the bill with Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., said in a news release, “The change in the law’s language is worth millions of dollars in future federal aid for a new, modern replacement terminal. Without the new language, the airport project would have faced serious shortages in meeting its goals for convenience, security and expandability.”

Springfield officials were pleased with the appropriations.

“Senator Bond and Congressman Blunt recognize the importance of strong air service as an economic driver for a growing community like ours,” Springfield Mayor Tom Carlson said in the release. “We greatly value their leadership on transportation issues in Congress and appreciate the work they have done to help us address the challenges of maintaining quality service as the number of airlines serving Springfield and the number of passengers both continue to grow.”