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Council approves resolution to seek ODOT aviation funds for Fostoria airport improvements
Summary
City council voted unanimously to authorize application to the Ohio Department of Transportation Office of Aviation for grant funding to support navigation aids, lighting and pavement work at the Fostoria airport.
City council voted to adopt a resolution authorizing the director of public service and safety to apply for Ohio Department of Transportation Office of Aviation grant funding for state fiscal year 2026. Consulting engineer Ben Cooley of Crawford, Murphy & Tilly told council the airport has active projects — including a new or expanded terminal/hangar — and plans to seek ODOT aviation and Federal Aviation Administration funds for navigation aids, lighting, electrical vault upgrades and pavement rehabilitation.
"We have broken ground on the new terminal or the expansion," Ben Cooley said, and consultants described design work and grant applications that would fund replacement of electrical vaults and lighting equipment that have reached the end of their useful life. Cooley said FAA applications for pavement work had already been submitted and that ODOT competitive grant applications were pending.
Council voted to waive the three‑reading rule and adopt the ODOT aviation application resolution unanimously; the clerk recorded all votes as "yes." The resolution was listed as resolution number 2025‑34 in the minutes.
Cooley and staff answered council questions about airport capacity and revenue. He said the runway is 5,000 feet, which allows operation by small jets, and noted recent steps to generate revenue: the airport began selling jet and avgas to the public and has hangar rental income. Cooley described student engagement through a co‑op program with Bowling Green State University aviation students and said staff on site assist pilots with fuel sales and services.
Council members described the airport as an economic‑development asset and said applying for FAA and ODOT funds was important to avoid losing a year of potential grant opportunity. "If we don't make this application, we in essence are gonna skip a year, and we're gonna lose the opportunity for these funds," one council member said.
The resolution authorizes staff to apply; no construction contracts were awarded at the meeting. Cooley said future design and construction would proceed only after funding is confirmed and bids are obtained.
