Airport authority keeps left over grant money
Fayette County Airport Authority officials on Wednesday said they were pleased that the authority was allowed to keep $30,300 left over from a Fayette County grant for a project that was scrapped.
The Fayette County commissioners recently approved the authority’s request to use the balance of the original $50,000 grant to cover operating costs.
Awarded in 2010, the grant was earmarked for a project that involved demolishing some hangars, and $19,700 was spent on engineering, said John “Bud” Neckerauer, airport manager.
The project was then deemed impractical, but the commissioners’ approval was needed to use the money for anything other than for what the grant was originally awarded, he said.
“The money was just sitting there,” Neckerauer said.
The money can be used for repairs and improvements at the airport, said board member Joseph Maher.
A state grant is paying for a $118,000 roof replacement project at an authority-owned hangar that houses Stat MedEvac and another business.
A pre-construction meeting with the contractor was recently held, but a starting date hasn’t been set, Neckerauer said.
The hangar roof leaks, he said.
Maher said the project includes replacing wood and masonry.
In other business, the airport spent $38,412 for the 6,300 gallons of fuel it has for sale, and the fuel is worth $46,723 at the airport’s prices, Neckerauer said.