The State Building Advisory Commission reviewed and forwarded a batch of airport infrastructure Build Kansas applications that staff said total about $253,734 in requests for smaller, primarily rural airport projects.

Jason, the staff presenter, said hub technical-assistance staff proactively encouraged airports to apply before the fiscal-year deadline and that the program recently reduced the typical nonfederal match from 10% to 5% for many rural airports. Examples presented included Wellington requesting $12,838 to replace medium-intensity taxiway lights with LED fixtures; Kingman requesting $9,262.50 to extend a parallel taxiway; Oberlin requesting $25,037 for an access road and parking at its municipal airport; and Hays requesting $153,864 to reconstruct runway pavement after staff found about 16% of concrete panels showing visible failures that have led to foreign object debris and extended runway closures.

Why it matters: presenters said many of these requests are modest in dollar terms but are intended to meet FAA standards, reduce safety risks and support itinerant traffic. Representative Hoffman asked whether the dollar amounts were tied to FAA allocations; staff said airport applicants’ eligible requests depend on FAA service-area-based allocation rules and that many airports layer Build Kansas funding with FAA Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants.

Discussion and next steps: committee members raised routine questions about scope, FAA rules and multiyear project timing. The commission forwarded the airport applications to the next step of review for federal consideration. Staff noted that for larger municipalities—such as Hays—applicants often provide significantly more local funds and that the reduced 5% match applies mainly to smaller rural airports.