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Council signs off on airport control‑tower design funding as airport pursues federal grant
Summary
Council approved a resolution declaring intent to reimburse design costs for a new air‑traffic control tower and appropriated $185,439 for design services; county staff said the outlay is intended to make the airport competitive for a federal grant that would reimburse most project costs.
Monroe County Council unanimously approved a memorializing resolution (Resolution 2025‑17) on April 8 declaring the county’s intent to reimburse certain aviation design expenditures so the airport can submit an FAA grant application for a replacement or renovation of the county control tower.
The council also approved an additional appropriation of $185,439 in the aviation construction fund to pay for the design work. County legal staff and the airport director, Carlos Laverty, told the council that the FAA program has recently funded high percentages of eligible control‑tower projects. The design package is a required element to make a competitive application; if the federal grant is awarded, county staff said most or all of the design cost would be reimbursed to the aviation fund.
Jeff Cockrell, county legal liaison to the Redevelopment Commission, described the request as a funding gap to get the project to the design phase so the airport can apply — and said the aviation fund will carry the cost if the grant application is unsuccessful. Councilor Henry, the council aviation liaison, said the tower appears to be at the end of its useful life and endorsed the request as necessary to preserve the airport’s role in supporting local employers and federal partners.
Both measures passed by roll‑call vote with unanimous support.
The council approved the resolution and the appropriation after staff said the airport previously applied for similar grants but was judged not far enough along in development. Councilors and airport staff said completing the design now would keep the county competitive in the next FAA funding cycle and leave a ready plan on file if the county needs to reapply in a future year.
