Congressman Ryan announces approval of half million for taxi lane at airport

Staff report

VIENNA

U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, announced Thursday the approval of $448,767 from the Federal Aviation Administration for a taxi lane at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.

The taxi lane will connect the airport runway area with 14 new T-hangars that will be constructed this fall, said Dan Dickten, director of aviation at the airport. The money also will pay for a windcone on Runway 14 to improve safety.

The $448,767 is part of the airport’s $1 million in annual “entitlement money,” which the airport receives as a result of having at least 10,000 passengers flying out of the airport every year. The airport is on pace to have about 128,000 passengers this year.

The Western Reserve Port Authority, which runs the airport, also constructed another unit of 14 T-hangars earlier. Eleven of the 14 additional T-hangars already are rented, Dickten said.

The port authority will close on the bond sale later this month to pay the approximately $550,000 to construct them. Work on the taxi lane already has begun, Dickten noted.

The T-hangars should be finished and ready for occupancy in late October, he said.

“This is great news for the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport,” the congressman said in a press release, congratulating Dickten and the port authority.

Previous federal awards to the airport include more than $8 million for Youngstown Air Reserve Station housing and $1 million for improvements to King-Graves Road, Ryan said.