Plainview and Hale County approve resolution to seek $1.5 million EDA grant for new airport terminal
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Summary
City staff presented a conceptual plan and funding strategy for a new Plainview-Hale County Airport terminal and east-ramp improvements; council approved a resolution authorizing a $1.5 million EDA grant application and pledged to partner with the county on local matching obligations.
Plainview staff told the City Council on March 20 that the city and Hale County will apply for a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to help build a new terminal building and make improvements to the east ramp at the Plainview–Hale County Airport.
City project manager Crosswhite presented a conceptual plan and a funding strategy, saying the total project cost is estimated at $6.1 million and that the city and county together would be responsible for just over $2 million if the requested grants and planned federal funds are awarded. He said the EDA recommended a revised $1.5 million request after the city’s earlier $2 million application was not funded because EDA ran out of program funds.
The resolution’s approval authorizes the city to submit the EDA application for the “Plainview–Hale County Airport Terminal Building and East Ramp Improvements,” and staff described the project as the next step following the airport master plan completed in 2015. Crosswhite said Parkhill architects produced the conceptual design and that the airport was reclassified this year from a general aviation to a regional aviation airport, a reclassification that the city expects will increase annual federal support for operations.
Why it matters: city staff said a modernized terminal and ramp improvements are intended to keep Plainview competitive with similarly sized regional airports and to help capture aviation-related revenues. Funding sources described during the presentation included the EDA request ($1.5 million), potential Tech-Stack funding ($600,000), banked BIL/IIJA funds (roughly $1,048,000), and increased annual FAA allocations tied to the airport’s reclassification.
Council action: Mayor Pro Tem Weiss moved to adopt the resolution authorizing the EDA application; Councilmember Rascon seconded. Council members voted unanimously to approve the resolution.
Next steps: Crosswhite said staff had already applied for other grants and that the county had approved the application; the city’s approval completes the local partnership and allows staff to submit the EDA application.