Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Airport Funding topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Abilene board recommends city accept $2.46 million FAA FY25 AIP entitlement grant
Summary
The Airport Development Board voted to recommend that City Council accept the Federal Aviation Administration FY25 Airport Improvement Program entitlement grant, combining an FY24 carryover and FY25 funds totaling $2,463,724 with a 5% local match.
The Abilene Airport Development Board voted to recommend that City Council accept a Federal Aviation Administration FY25 Airport Improvement Program (AIP) entitlement grant totaling $2,463,724, board members said during an Aug. meeting.
Airport management said the grant combines the airport's FY24 entitlement that was not previously used with the FY25 allotment and carries a city match of 5 percent, or $129,670. Don (airport management) described the award as formula-based, tied to enplanements, and therefore predictable for planning: "The entitlement portion of that means that that is a formula based grant and it's based on our passenger enplanements from 2 years prior," he said.
The board was told the grant would fund several near-term items, including reimbursement for a capital implementation services contract with Cutchins & Grow, a required pavement condition study for the runways (estimated $10,800), design work on the terminal expansion (an earlier Park Hill amendment), and part of the cost of an aircraft rescue firefighting (ARFF) truck that the board also recommended for purchase. Management said some grant funds will remain and would be reprogrammed into the terminal construction budget when appropriate.
The FY25 allotment reflects a temporary change in federal match rules: Congress's recent FAA reauthorization reduced the required local match for smaller airports from 10 percent to 5 percent for FY25 and FY26, management said. The board was told the change made timing advantageous given the airport's planned terminal work.
Board member (unnamed) made a motion to recommend acceptance of the grant; the board voted in favor with no recorded opposition and the motion passed.
Why it matters: The AIP entitlement funds are a primary, predictable source of federal capital funding for airport projects tied to passenger activity. Management said securing the grant now positions the city to sign and accept an eventual FAA award quickly when it arrives, avoiding the administrative rush that sometimes follows FAA notifications.
The recommendation goes next to Abilene City Council for final acceptance should the council follow the board's recommendation.
Notes: The board discussion included a description of how the grant will reimburse a $90,000 contract with Cutchins & Grow for capital implementation services and noted a November deadline to complete the FAA-required pavement study. Management said the exact amount left over after programmed items is not yet known and will be reprogrammed in future AIP cycles as needed.
