Pennsylvania to invest $8.8 million in state’s airports

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Twenty-three airports will make safety upgrades and expand operations with the assistance of $8.8 million in state investments, according to Governor Tom Wolf.

Included in the grants is $5.4 million distributed through the Aviation Transportation Assistance Program, which is a capital budget grant program funded with bonds. The grants leverage nearly $3.6 million in local matching funds. Authorized by the General Assembly, the grants are administered by PennDOT‘s Bureau of Aviation.

The investments also include $3.4 million in state funding from PennDOT’s Aviation Development Program, which comes from the state’s jet fuel tax and leverages $1.1 million in local matching funds.

Public-use airports in the state are eligible for the Aviation Development Program.

The program complements the state Multimodal Fund, which dedicates $6 million to aviation in this fiscal year, state officials note.

Airports receiving grants include:

• Allegheny County: Allegheny County Airport, $150,000 to rehabilitate airport buildings.
• Beaver County: Zelienople Municipal Airport, $375,000 to construct a fueling facility.
• Bucks County: Doylestown Airport,$2.3 million to acquire property adjacent to the airport to allow for future expansion of the airport’s terminal area, including a new terminal building with auto parking, and the northwest T-hangar complex. Pennridge Airport, $560,750 to reconstruct an apron, design the reconstruction of the taxiway and to study obstructions to aircraft approaching the airport. Quakertown Airport, $150,000 to demolish a 70-year old equipment storage building and build a new one.
• Butler County: Butler Farm Show Airport, $135,000 to improve airport drainage, rehabilitate a taxiway and install an access gate and fencing.
• Cambria County: John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, $150,000 to complete repairs to existing hangars on the airfield.
• Centre County: University Park Airport, $713,750 to acquire airport equipment to maintain and operate the airfield and to continue rehabilitating the general aviation apron to bring it into compliance with federal design standards.
• Columbia County: Bloomsburg Municipal Airport, $200,000 for the final construction phase of the terminal building.
• Crawford County: Port Meadville Airport, $37,500 to design the future rehabilitation of its fuel farm.
• Lancaster County: Lancaster Airport, $200,000 to construct three new box hangars to accommodate newer privately owned aircraft based at the airport.
• Lawrence County: New Castle Municipal Airport, $250,000 to complete expansion of the existing hangar and enhance security by replacing existing fencing and installing new fencing, gates, cameras and camera equipment.
• Lebanon County: Deck Airport, $90,000 to install a new airport weather observation system that reports current weather conditions to pilots.
• Luzerne County: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport, $550,000 to rehabilitate the existing parking garage.
• McKean County: Bradford Regional Airport, $150,000 to replace the existing hangar door and track foundation system to allow for opening and closure for a hangar on the airport.
• Mercer County: Greenville Municipal Airport, $10,800 to prepare airport hazard zoning ordinances that local municipalities can enact.
• Montgomery County: Wings Field, $124,995 to remove obstructions.
• Philadelphia: Penns Landing-Pier 36 Heliport, $328,013 to rehabilitate the seawall below the heliport.
• Venango County: Venango Regional Airport, $150,000 to acquire airport equipment to replace and augment existing that helps maintain and operate the airport.
• Washington County: Washington County Airport, $1 million to purchase an existing hangar and office, allowing the county to continue providing essential hangar space and aviation-related office space.
• Westmoreland County: Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, $375,000 to acquire equipment to remove and prevent ice build-up on aircraft.
• Wyoming County: Skyhaven Airport, $225,000 to construct a taxiway and rehabilitate hangar ramps.
• York County: York Airport, $646,875 to rehabilitate the runway.