Fayette County moving ahead with state grant application for airport
Fayette County officials and the county airport authority will meet with a state budget office representative in late August to discuss what additional information is needed to comply with grant procedures as the county pursues funding to improve facilities at the Joseph A. Hardy/Connellsville Airport in Dunbar Township.
Arthur Cappella, county grant writer, said Tuesday that the county will amend an earlier Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) application, not submit new documentation as it complies with state procedures to secure an additional $1 million through the program.
Two years ago, the county requested and received confirmation that $1 million would be earmarked through RACP for new hangars to be built at the airport.
According to documentation on file in Cappella’s office, Commissioner Al Ambrosini signed the request on behalf of the county on Aug. 28, 2012, with Charles B. Zogby, secretary of the budget office among others, inking the agreement for the state.
However, in order to receive the grant, a matching amount had to be in place.
While various options were considered by the airport authority and county to raise the needed $1 million match, it was not until recently was a solution found, said Ambrosini.
“Initially there were discussions that the county would put up $100,000 and the airport would seek a $900,000 loan,” he said. “It was determined that it would put an undue financial burden on the airport, so we needed to come up with another solution.”
However, the clock was ticking on the state grant, and with it set to expire in April, 2014, Cappella was asked to seek an extension that would allow a few extra months to find a solution to the financial shortfall.
“We didn’t want to lose this opportunity, so we had to figure out how to get the matching money,” said Ambrosini.
Joseph A. Hardy III, founder of 84 Lumber Co. and Nemacolin Woodlands, recently agreed to match the $1 million RACP grant.
“Timing is everything in business and this was a good time to approach Mr. Hardy who has always been a staunch supporter of the airport,” said Ambrosini.
With the matching money in place, Cappella said that the next step is to amend a prior RACP application filed by the airport authority to complete a safety runway extension, that was completed in 2011.
“The county could not make application for the new funding until it met the requirement of securing matching money,” he said. “Now that it is in place, we will proceed.”
The initial grant made available to the airport was for $2 million with nearly $3.5 million in federal and other state money to complete the safety project.
The hangar construction project will be considered phase two, added Cappella.
Ambrosini said that he, along with various airport board members met with Michael Baker Inc. engineers Monday to discuss the hangar construction project as the Pittsburgh firm will be tasked to design the project.
“We will need them to additionally provide the scope, budget and schedule for the project that will be included in the grant application,” said Cappella.
While there has been some question as to whether the $1 million grant was obtained earlier by the airport authority, Ambrosini said that the RACP fund was exhausted with the completion of the safety runway project.
“This is a new county grant,” he said.
The project will include the construction of about 40 hangars that will accommodate small and larger aircraft and located alongside an abandoned taxiway.
“It shouldn’t be a complicated project,” said Ambrosini, adding that excavation should be minimal and the securing of storm water and other water management permits, without complication. “I don’t foresee any unusual issues.”
The airport authority is expected to authorize engineers to begin design work at its August meeting.