Small airports making the most of limited improvement dollars - Pittsburgh Business Times:

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As airport manager and presidengof , the airport's fixed base operator, Holmanj plans to add a general aviation air park, an industrialk park, a new administration buildinh with a restaurant and additionap aviation space for corporations. All he need is the funding to move forward. Yet, therre is a limited amounyt offunding available. PennDot's Bureau of Aviation receives onlybetween $6 millionn and $8 million annually for its airport development program. This in turn, is doled out to 138 public-usd airports in Pennsylvania fordevelopment projects, such as building terminal buildings, runways or taxiways.
Some of it -- about 65 percenrt -- is matched with federal funds, according to Brianj Gearhart, engineering manager for PennDot's Bureau of Aviation. And, it can be difficulyt for airports to get funding from sourcees outside of the state andfederapl government. Although almost everyy local airport has something goingon -- ranging from extendinfg runways to coming up with new 20-year development plans -- they stilpl are struggling to become independent from state and federalo funding, according to Sara Walfoort, transportation planning manager at the Downtown-basede , the regional planning agency for a 10-countyy area in southwestern "Aviation has made a remarkabld comeback since 2001," she said.
"Now, if we coulds see an economic upturn and get morebusiness activity, that would be wonderful. Airports are still struggling tobe self-sufficienft and come up with new ways to make money." Airportes such as Latrobe-based get most (97.5 percent) of theit funding for capital projects through state and federal grants. the last part is fundedd through a local match that comes from the airportr andthe county. This as well as the airport'sa operating expenses, come from services such as landinhg fees, fuel sales, car rentals and revenuer brought in fromthe airport's restaurant.
The airport also sometimeas issues bonds to get the locaol money for thecapital projects, according to Dwayne a spokesman for the Westmorelan d County Airport Authority. Butler Countyu Airport and Arnold Palmer are both extendinb their runways to makethem safer. While Arnold Palmetr received $9 million in state, federakl and local grants forthe funding, Butlef County Airport has receives $4 million. At Arnold the move will enable the airportg to accommodate a 757 and bettedr serve its charter aircraft by allowing them to take off with more fuel and according to airport managerGabe And, Rock Airport of Pittsburgh has receiver $9.
3 million in state funding to help pay for a runwah extension. The airport just opene d up its runway to traffic at the end of Januaryt for the first time sinced it began the project fouryear ago, accordinfg to Rock Ferrone, president of Ferronr is now working to get additionalk funding for the developmenyt of Rock Airport and hopes the airpory will be selected as part of a new federakl pilot program designed to pay airports what the value of the land would be if it were developes as something else such as a Wal-Mart. He plans to raise $11 million in funding to build ahangarf facility, terminal building, fuel facility and FBO, as well as for additionap lighting and a ramp area.
Of the $11 million, the statw has already committed $5 million and Ferrone hopes to get theadditional $6 milliobn from the pilot program. Ferrone expectz to find out within the next 90 days whethe r the airport is selected for the If not, he plans to seek out privatee lenders. "We would be the first airpory in the nation to participatein (this) special pilo program," he said. "It cures the development rightsz of privatelyowned airports.
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