Redmond Airport Receives Unexpected Funding With $2.5 Million Grant

REDMOND, Ore. -- The Redmond Airport received an unexpected $1 million boost in Federal Aviation Administration funding with a $2.5 million grant for expansion projects.

Airport officials had been counting on just $1.5 million from the FAA, said Carrie Novick, airport manager.

The extra dollars from the FAA's discretionary fund "are like a gift from your grandma," she said.

The money will be used for projects that include relocation of a small road leading to the terminal, and the design of a larger terminal, Novick said.

Plans call for the new terminal to be four times larger than the current facility, she said.

But the expansion project still may not be enough to accommodate the growing number of passengers using the airport, Novick said.

In July, 31 percent more people departed from the airport than in July 2004. If trends continue, more than 190,000 passengers will have boarded flights bound for Portland, Seattle, Salt Lake City and San Francisco by the end of the year, she said.

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