Council authorizes submission of FAA grant application for Manchester Airport runway work

The Manchester City Council voted to authorize the city manager to submit a Capital Improvement Plan update to the Federal Aviation Administration seeking grant funding for a runway rehabilitation project.

The measure authorizes staff to file the grant application as a first step; if the FAA announces an award, the council will later consider formal authorization for the city manager to sign the award and enter a grant agreement. The city manager said the submission is intended to test whether federal funding will be available to include the project in a federal fiscal-year budget.

City staff outlined several potential funding sources. The city manager said the municipality has a direct allocation of about $150,000 per year (approximately $450,000 currently available) that could be applied to the project; an infrastructure-law designation also provided airport-targeted funds of $120,000 per year for three years but staff noted the first year's funding is no longer available. Staff explained that typical FAA airport projects use a federal-local cost split and that recent law could change the city's share in its favor.

If the FAA awards funds, staff said the next steps would include engineer selection, development of design plans and specifications, issuing bids, and returning to council to authorize execution of a grant agreement and any necessary contracts. The council approved the motion to submit the CIP update by recorded voice votes from council members present.

Donna Boss, a resident who spoke during public comment, urged continued support for airport-related economic activity and cited local agricultural users that she said depend on operations at the Manchester Airport.

The city manager will proceed with the application; any award will return to the council for formal acceptance and execution.