Budget Shortfall Leads to Discussion of Cambridge Municipal Airport's Future

Apr. 7—The future of the Cambridge Municipal Airport was discussed at Monday's commissioners meeting, as there is concern over the estimated shortfall in the budget.

The tentative 2021 budget shows projected expenditures of $288,060 and expected cash receipts of $153,450 resulting in a shortage of $134,610. The budget for 2021 was based on 2020 activity.

Officials with Guernsey County, the City of Cambridge, and members of the Board of the Cambridge Municipal Airport met virtually with FAA officials to discuss the issue and answer some questions regarding the airport, according to Guernsey County Commissioner President Dave Wilson.

Cambridge City Council President Bill Cowgill asked the FAA members to explain what the FAA does and how it funds airports.

According to Stephanie Swann, active manager for the FFA's Detroit District office, every airport has a three- or four-member team consisting of the program manager, planner and environmentalist.

Swan said for an airport such as Cambridge the team is pivotal because it starts with planning then moves forward for implementation.

Processes such as airport layout plans, master plans and compiling lists of projects that make up the airport capital improvement plan go through the FAA team.

Swann said airport capital improvement plans traditionally need to show no less than $750,000 in airport development in order for the airport to be eligible to receive $150,000 in nonprimary entitlement.

Tim Evancho, council member-at-large, presented a list of questions submitted collectively by the city on behalf of Cambridge Law Director Bill Ferguson, who was absent from the meeting.

Questions included concerns over repayment of a grant if an airport should shut down, does the FAA take into consideration whether grant funds received are necessary for current operations and expansion, and is there more CARES Act dollars coming for airports.

According to Evancho, the city is trying to understand the structure, the liability and where things stand in terms of them going forward.

"When you accept a grant it does have grant assurances that goes with it and those assurances basically committed you to being a public use airport that is open and available for the public to use," Swann said.

Evancho said the concern was who would be responsible for repaying grants if an airport closes.

"We don't ever look at ourselves as closing an airport," Swann said. "As long as you don't come to the FAA saying we are going to padlock the airport closed, there may be no one there using it, but as long as it is available to use, that's different than saying you are going to padlock the facility and no one can have access to it," Swan said. "You can't shut down a federally obligated airport."

In regards to taking grants into consideration for operation or expansion needs, Swann said that would be looked at based on if the project is justified, and if it is consistent with the airport layout plan and the airport master plan.

"We don't build something just to build something," Swann said. "It does have to have purpose and need and justification."

The airport received CARES Act dollars in 2020 and will receive a second round of CARES Act funding, according to Swann. A third round of funding is in the works but no details are yet available.

Swann said there could potentially be funding available with the infrastructure bill, but she was unsure if that was happening and, if it does, if the funds would be available in 2021 or 2022. She also said when COVID-19 goes away, the well would dry up and the extra funding would go away with it.

While most of the questions revolved around finances and grant money available, a good portion of the meeting was spent discussing the airport's five-year plan with the FAA and the work to be done at the airport.

Katy Delaney, FAA planner for Cambridge Municipal Airport, outlined projects slated for the next five years. The plans include rehabilitating the aprons due to pavement needing to be repaired, fixing the airport's outdated runway lighting system and constructing a turnaround for planes on runway No. 4.

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