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Grosse Ile airport staff outline pavement plan, seek federal funds after 2023 PCI
Summary
Airport staff presented a Pavement Condition Index and draft five-year Airport Capital Improvement Plan, saying $83,000 in local funds and $38,000 in design costs have already been committed while the commission waits for federal AIP funding and considers phased repairs.
Grosse Ile Airport and Commerce Park Commission members heard a presentation on the airport's Pavement Condition Index (PCI) and a draft five-year Airport Capital Improvement Plan (ACIP), with staff saying the airport has committed local funds and paid design costs while awaiting federal Airport Improvement Program (AIP) dollars.
Janelle (staff member) told commissioners the PCI used by MDOT and FAA planning assumes "unlimited budget" and that the airport's last full pavement inspection was completed in February 2023. "This is an annual meeting," Janelle said, describing the Michigan Department of Transportation process and the role of the Michigan Aeronautics Commission in recommending projects for federal funding.
The PCI and ACIP materials identify pavement preventive maintenance on taxiways Charlie, Echo and Foxtrot as a priority. Janelle said the preventive-maintenance contract is roughly a $400,000 job and that the airport had put in $83,000 of local share for pavement work covering 2024 and 2025. She said the airport also has "$38,000 in for that design on this project" while federal construction funds are still pending.
Why it matters: federal AIP money and state programs determine eligibility and how much local sponsors must pay. Janelle noted grant-assurance requirements tied to federally funded projects and said MDOT assists airports with compliance, inspections and the PCI methodology.
Commission discussion covered repair scope and funding priorities. Janelle described options short of full reconstruction for a roughly 60-foot connector area that had been estimated at over $1 million in a previous design and said the project would likely be done in phases. She said some concrete panel replacements already were completed near T-hangars and that the commission capitalized on a statewide preventative-maintenance contractor for crack sealing and mastic, adding an additional $10,000 of local funds this year.
Janelle said federal shares for airport projects are often high ("the feds will normally cover 90%"), but that some recent relief funding buckets changed and some COVID-era allocations had deadlines that drove timing decisions. She said the airport was on the state's MAC (Michigan Aeronautics Commission) list and that MDOT planning and environmental review will determine final eligibility for federal AIP dollars.
Commissioners pressed for options and alternatives for sections currently rated in poor condition, and Janelle said staff will return with refined designs and cost estimates after MDOT feedback and the state review process is complete.
Next steps: the draft ACIP will go to MDOT's planning and environmental unit for eligibility review and then be discussed at future MAC meetings; staff indicated they will present more detailed design and funding options to the commission as those reviews are completed.
