Airport funding comes through
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, June 14, 2000
Although the US Congress approved AIR-21 (the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century) March 15, the actual funding is only coming through now, three months later.
Wednesday, June 14, 2000
Although the US Congress approved AIR-21 (the Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century) March 15, the actual funding is only coming through now, three months later. First District Congressman Gil Gutknecht announced Tuesday that the Austin Municipal Airport would get $2,059,267 for improvements.
That funding is exactly what Austin city officials expected, however, so there were no surprises there. Just relief that the wait is finally over, at least for this fiscal year. Costs for the expansion are estimated at more than $13 million over the next five years.
Gutknecht has been a big supporter of the Austin airport expansion from the beginning.
"It is good to see the funds we authorized in Washington going back to the First District," he said in a press release. "This is good news for the Austin Municipal Airport and the City of Austin. With this money, the airport will be able to improve and extend its runway, allowing the airport to accommodate larger aircrafts. These airport improvements will increase accessibility to the city, giving Austin more travel opportunities. The entire community will benefit from a modernized airport."
While the Austin airport doesn’t do much trade in passenger flights, the expansion of the main runway is key to keeping its corporate users happy and to comply with safety standards. The current runway is 4,796 feet long – 204 feet short of the minimum 5,000 feet most corporate jet owners desire.
Austin’s main corporate user is the Hormel Foods Corp., which initiated conversations with the city about expanding the airport about four years ago.
Safety was another major factor, both for those in the planes and for people living around the airport. The airport’s current safety zones are not up to today’s standards.
However, the expanded runway also requires an expanded safety zone, which ultimately means the acquisition by the city of Austin of 17 homes and 228 acres of farmland.
No one from City Hall was available for comment this morning.