Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Airport Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lewistown Airport awarded state aid for hangar door and taxiway work
Summary
City staff told commissioners the Lewistown Airport received a Montana Aeronautics loan and grant to help replace an aging hangar door and begin taxiway reconstruction; local shares will partly come from city/county and operating funds.
The Lewistown Airport has been awarded a loan and a grant from Montana State Aeronautics to help fund two infrastructure projects, City Commission members heard at their meeting.
Airport board member Tim reported the city received a $20,000 low-interest loan and a $200,000 grant from Montana State Aeronautics to help pay the local match on two projects: replacement of a World War II–era hangar door and reconstruction of a failing taxiway. "That door, that older bifold door is starting to have failures...so the goal is to put in a new...full-width door on that hangar," Tim said, adding the loan is structured to be repaid from operating funds.
The commission was told the hangar's local share was described in meeting discussion as "probably in the neighborhood of 3 to $40,000," and the $200,000 grant was presented as a partial match toward a larger taxiway reconstruction project. Tim said the state and Federal Aviation Administration recognize the need: the FAA is contributing funds and construction could begin in 2026, or possibly late 2025 depending on scheduling. "We were awarded a $200,000 grant toward a taxiway reconstruction...that's 5% of our local 5 percent share of 3 or $4,000,000 project," Tim said.
Commissioners and staff emphasized the airport is managed with limited personnel; Tim described everyday operations as "managed by 2 people" and noted closures this winter stemmed mainly from weather. No formal action was taken by the commission on these items during the meeting.
The report also noted increasing large-aircraft traffic at Lewistown and a desire to make the full doorway area usable for bigger aircraft. City staff identified the hangar door replacement and taxiway reconstruction as multi-phase projects with federal and state funding dependencies.
Lede context: The grants and loan are intended to reduce the city's local cash outlay: speakers said state funds are being used as the required match for federal funding, with the city/county share at about 5 percent for the larger project and the $20,000 loan covering part of the hangar-door cost.
Ending: City staff said they will return with more detailed cost estimates and construction timing as design and FAA coordination proceed.
