Commission approves pre-application and grant acceptance for Jeremiah Denton Airport bulkhead replacement

Mobile County commissioners on Sept. 18 approved a pre-application seeking federal and state assistance for the final phase of bulkhead replacement at Jeremiah Denton Airport and accepted a corresponding Airport Improvement Grant offer that will fund construction administration and oversight.

County staff requested a pre-application for fiscal year 2026 seeking 95% federal funding and 2.5% state assistance for a total pre-application amount of $898,000; the county’s request was described as seeking 97.5% reimbursement for Mobile County for the Phase 4 bulkhead-replacement construction. The commission also accepted the airport improvement grant offer and authorized a designated official to execute the grant documents.

During the conference the commission voted to approve items 10 and 11 on the agenda (the pre-application and the grant offer) together with a related add-on item tied to the same project; a motion to approve items 10, 11 and the add-on was made and seconded and then recorded as approved at the conference. Staff noted that Phase 4 will be the final phase of the airport bulkhead replacement.

No additional project financing details, contract awards or construction-start dates were provided in the Sept. 18 conference beyond the grant acceptance and staff’s indication that Phase 4 will proceed under the Airport Improvement Program reimbursement structure. The commission also approved other related project items and supplemental agreements on the Sept. 18 agenda tied to airport and waterfront projects, and staff said they would return with additional paperwork as required by the grant terms.