XENIA - The Greene County Lewis A. Jackson Airport plans to use a $150,000 Federal Aviation Administration grant to update its master plan and complete other projects, airport officials said this week.
The plan, which is expected to cost about $90,000, will outline future upgrades and improvements to the airport for the next 25 years.
"There are things we are considering in the future, but if we don't have them in a plan, the FAA won't look at it (grant applications)," said William "Bill" VonGunten, president of the Greene County Regional Airport Authority.
The Greene County Regional Airport Board Authority owns the airport and is made up of a seven-member board that is appointed by the Greene County Board of Commissioners for a term of three years.
The FAA requires a 10 percent local match in addition the funds provided by the federal agency. The county will have to pitch in $15,000.
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, announced Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport received $287,010 grant to update its existing master plan and identify future needs.
Brown's office also announced two grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation and the FAA to the Day-ton International Airport - including $315,000 to develop that airport's master plan. The airport also will receive a $1,737,680 grant to be used to install airport beacons and rehabilitate runway lighting, the statement from Brown's office said.
Don Smith, Greene County airport manager, said the high cost of the plan is because of the need to use certified airport planners and the highly specialized and technical nature of creating a master plan. The last plan - which was developed in 1995 - cost between $90,000 to $95,000, he said.
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