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Newton airport wins larger federal grant; local share drops as runway project begins
Summary
Brian Palmer, director of the Newton City‑County Airport, told commissioners the airport's Airport Improvement Program grant increased to $3.6 million, reducing the local share and easing previously anticipated overruns; construction and asphalt crushing are underway with mitigation plans to limit dust impacts on nearby businesses.
Newton City‑County Airport Director Brian Palmer told Harvey County commissioners on Aug. 26 that the airport received an expanded Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grant, increasing the award from $3.2 million to $3.6 million and lowering the local share for a runway project.
Palmer said the project is primarily funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) grant and a Kansas Department of Transportation aviation grant, and that the AIP award fills more of the cost overrun the county and city had expected to share. He said the county and city’s combined local share will now be approximately $230,000 total — about $115,000 each — down from an earlier estimate of roughly $285,000 per entity.
Construction began about a week before the meeting, Palmer said, and crews have removed the east‑side pavement and set a plan to crush asphalt millings at a central location on airport property. He said the crushing plant will be at least a quarter‑mile from a nearby business that had voiced dust concerns and that the contractor will restore any private property used as a temporary staging area when work ends.
Palmer noted differences between crushing asphalt (oiled material) and crushing concrete and said operations should avoid impacts when winds are from the north, which is typical later in the season. He said the contractor relocated its temporary offices onto a vacant, enclosed facility owned by Midwest Transformers to secure the site and reduce off‑airport hauling.
Commissioners asked about road damage and concrete suppliers. Palmer said the contractor will repair county roads if the work causes damage beyond normal wear, that concrete suppliers must be located near the airport because concrete cannot stay in transit for long, and he agreed to notify neighboring businesses about the crushing location and schedule.
Palmer said most heavy truck traffic will use paved airport access roads and that increased trucks will coincide with concrete pours; the project’s phased construction should limit neighborhood impacts. The commission did not take further action but heard the update and requested outreach to nearby property owners.
