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Montrose County reviews $10.1 million airport projects and flags uncertainty in federal appropriations
Summary
County airport staff outlined multiple summer projects — taxiway reconstruction, apron work, AWOS commissioning, equipment orders and private hangars — backed by federal AIP and other grants totaling roughly $10.1 million; officials warned nonformula 'bill' grant lines can be vulnerable to congressional appropriations delays.
Montrose County staff outlined a slate of summer capital projects at the county airport and warned federal appropriations complexities could affect nonformula grant lines.
Lloyd, who presented the airport report, said the county has secured a mix of federal and state funding for runway and apron work and listed project-level figures: a federal BUILD-style grant of $131,068, an AIP grant of $600,000 for taxiway and apron work, and a package of federal and state grants supporting reconstruction of Taxiway C and D that together total $10,139,453. "We will not know whether or not we received funding on [the South Terminal ATP application] until October of this year, but that was submitted for $20,000,000," Lloyd said.
The presentation also covered equipment and facilities: orders for ramp plows and cradle-broom units totaling millions of dollars across contract years, six private hangars nearing completion, and preparations for jet-bridge installations at Gates 4 and 5 — including geotechnical testing and electrical upgrades before issuing an RFP for bathroom remodel work.
The work also carries scheduling adjustments: Lloyd corrected an earlier note and said the Taxway C/D construction cycle is 114 days with an expected completion around early August, not the 60-day window previously mentioned.
Commissioners asked about the durability of the federal funds that underpin the projects. Lloyd explained that the Airport Improvement Program (AIP) is formula-driven and historically reauthorized by Congress, but separate yearly "bill" funding that supplements AIP has been more volatile. "The AIP funding is provided based on the number of employments... AIP is based on a formula. Now historically, they have always reauthorized the AIP program. It's the bill funding that they're providing that, I think could be in jeopardy," Lloyd said, noting that some nonformula appropriations of roughly $1 billion have been subject to continuing resolutions in past years.
Commissioners and staff discussed contingency planning, including prioritizing work that can be funded within assured amounts and timing more discretionary items after federal appropriations become clearer. There were no formal votes; Lloyd concluded the update and answered follow-up questions about schedule, equipment delivery dates and coordination with private developers working on hangars.
What's next: staff will continue design and procurement as planned and track federal appropriations and grant-award notifications, with a key funding update due (grant award decisions referenced by Lloyd) in October for the ATP application.
