Watsonville Municipal Airport Receives $115K in Federal Funding
WATSONVILLE — The Watsonville Municipal Airport was one of 51 airports throughout California to receive funds from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program to support safety and improvement projects, Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff announced in a joint press release last week.
The FAA grants, totaling $109 million, will support everything from runway and taxiway rehabilitation to terminal construction at airports of various sizes up and down the Golden State. The Watsonville Municipal Airport’s share of the pie is $115,058, which will go toward installing new markings for Runway 2/20 to bring the airport into conformity with current standards.
According to a staff report by Sam Rosas, the airport’s operations manager, for acceptance of the grant at the July 7 Watsonville City Council meeting, the current markings for the primary runway were last painted in May 2018. In its current state, Rosas wrote that the markings were “faded and peeling, creating a safety hazard for aircraft and surface vehicles.”
The project would consist of painting approximately 60,800 square feet of runway pavement to redo all current runway markings up to the hold lines on the cross taxiways. The work would be done by Hi-Lite Airfield Services LLC, a company based out of Jefferson County, New York, that was the lowest responsible bidder at $69,615, Rosas wrote. Although the bid is lower than the city’s authorized contract threshold of $100,000, the grantor requires a City Council resolution to approve the project.
The total cost of the project is expected to be $121,115, consisting of $69,615 for construction, $18,000 for onsite project management and inspections, $20,000 for design and engineering, $6,000 for a National Environmental Protection Act categorical exclusion and $7,500 for city administrative costs. The airport is also seeking a matching grant from the California Department of Transportation to the tune of $5,753.
In an email to the Sentinel, Airport Director Rayvon Williams said timing is key for grant funding, and missing the deadline for FAA funding would result in losing the grant, so the airport instituted a process where staff request the council provide the city manager authority well in advance to accept the grant once it is awarded. The item was approved by the council as part of the consent agenda.
Williams wrote that he was pleased to receive the grant money, citing the importance of the runway.
“The Municipal Airport’s 4,501-foot runway ‘Two-Two-Zero’ is the primary landing surface for our 60,000 annual operations,” he wrote. “The $115,058 Federal Aviation Administration grant is approximately ninety percent of the total project cost and is one element of our on-going Pavement Maintenance Management Program. We are pleased to receive these funds as they enable us to continue compliance with FAA airport design criteria.”
Other projects at California airports to be funded through the FAA include $15.3 million for the first phase of reconstructing Taxiway A at Los Angeles International Airport, $15 million to install full noise mitigation measures for 400 residences near San Diego International Airport, $2.3 million for three new passenger boarding bridges at Sacramento International Airport and $2.3 million for the construction of a new 66,500-square-foot terminal to accommodate passenger and baggage movement at Monterey Regional Airport.
“From upgrading runways and taxiways to reducing airport noise and improving passenger facilities, these investments will make airports across California safer and more reliable,” Schiff said in a statement. “I’m proud to help deliver federal funding that will strengthen our transportation infrastructure, create economic opportunities and better serve communities across the Golden State.”
In another statement, Padilla wrote, “California’s airports are critical to the millions of travelers, workers, and goods that keep our economy moving. Investing in this infrastructure means safer runways, shorter delays, and airports built to handle the demands of our growing state. When we modernize our airports, we’re investing directly in jobs, in tourism, and in California’s competitiveness for decades to come.”
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