May 11—EFFINGHAM — The Effingham County Memorial Airport Commission recently discussed financing options for a proposed new T-hangar and runway extension.
Airport Superintendent and Effingham County Engineer Greg Koester said a new grant opportunity was brought to his attention by the Rebuild Illinois Airport Capital Improvement Program.
"Basically, it's a notice of opportunity. The deadline for submitting an application is June 14," Koester said.
Koester wants to get board approval before applying for the grant. He said the state grant would cover 90 percent of the project, leaving a 10 percent obligation to the county if the project is under $5 million. Koester estimates the project cost is in the $3 million range, making the county's obligation $300,000.
"They may want a local resolution committing those funds," Koester said.
"The runway extension appears to be a good fit for this program," Koester said. "This is good news. It fits our ALP (Airport Layout Plan) and EA (Environmental Assessment). We own the property and I think we are sitting pretty good."
The extension would extend the existing runway 900 feet off the end of runway 29 to the southeast allowing larger aircraft to take off and land at the airport.
He said when applying for the grant they can show other obligations, including the relocation of a road that falls within the Runway Protection Zone (RPZ).
Koester said County Road 1500 East would fall within the RPZ if the proposed runway extension is made. The road is located to the east and would need to be relocated farther east from the proposed end of runway 29 to be considered outside of the RPZ. The airport owns the property where the road would be relocated.
He said the state should be awarding the grant later this summer. Koester said he would like to get a commitment from the board for the 10 percent before making the application for the grant.
"It's not on the agenda today since we just received it on Monday," Koester said.
Koester said he wants to present the grant opportunity to the Tax and Finance Committee of the Whole on Thursday.
In other discussions, Koester said since they want to build a new T-hangar at the airport next year, he recently started discussions with Rob Arnold, chairman of the Tax and Finance Committee of the Whole Board. He noted the County Board will create next year's budget this summer. Koester would ultimately like to see construction started on the proposed T-hangar in April 2022.
Airport Manager Jerry Tate said he sold a combination of aviation gas and jet fuel for a total of 7,000 gallons in April.
"Three weeks into April it had been the worst month I had seen in a year," he said. "The last week of April picked up and I hope it continues to pick up."
Charles Mills can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 217-347-7151 ext. 126.
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