Port Authority receives $2.1M for airport upgrades
By Kalea Hall
VIENNA
The Western Reserve Port Authority has been awarded $2.1 million in federal funds for upgrades to Youngstown- Warren Regional Airport.
The $2.1 million U.S. Department of Transportation Discretionary Grant Award announced Monday will go toward the nearly $5.5 million Midfield Taxiway Improvement Project at the airport, Dan Dickten, director of aviation at the airport, said in a statement.
An additional $3.4 million is expected to come from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Capital Improvement Program Entitlement Funding.
The airport has rolled over its $1 million-per-year FAA Entitlement Funds for the past three years, Dickten said.
What Dickten called the “safety project” includes: the removal of some pavement at the airport that causes confusion, added access for aircraft to the south end of the main runway without first having to taxi across the passenger terminal apron, removal of a 2-foot slope from the main taxiway, installation of safety signage and improved drainage on the airfield.
In May, the authority awarded a contract of $4,587,000 to Kirila Contractors of Brookfield to make improvements to the Midfield Taxiway, according to Vindicator files.
“We are very excited to receive the $2.1 million FAA discretionary funding and look forward to the announcement of the FAA entitlement funding so the project can be completed this summer,” Dickten said in a statement.
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th, found the announcement to be “great news for the Valley.”
“I am proud that the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport has received this critical funding for updates and improvements,” Ryan said in a statement. “I will continue working to bring these types of resources back to our community.”
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, said the investment will ensure the continued safe transport of people and goods at the local airport.
“These repairs will help the airport better serve Mahoning Valley residents and businesses,” Brown said in a statement.