Weiser airport to receive $159K through federal infrastructure act

by Philip A. Janquart
 The Weiser Municipal Airport will receive $159,000 through the $1.2 trillion bipartisan federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
 Passed by Congress on Nov. 5, 2021, the bill, H.R. 3684, was signed into law by President Biden Nov. 15.
 The Act includes $550 billion in new federal spending earmarked for improvements to the nation’s infrastructure, including $25 billion for airports over five years.
 “It was a total surprise,” said Weiser Airport Manager Jim Metzger. “I don’t know when the funds will come, and I also don’t know what the City will decide to do with it. The airport is in excellent shape; we don’t need very much, but now that we have this little abundance of cash …”
 City Clerk David Tate said there has been no word about when the money will arrive or if it will even be the stated amount.
 “$159,000 is the number, but these numbers can change,” he said. “I’ve been doing this long enough to know those are very flexible numbers, but that is what we understand right now.”
 Tate said that according to the notification, the funds should arrive sometime in 2022, but there is no hard date.
 Although the airport is in good shape, Metzger nonetheless had some suggestions on how the money could be spent.
 “We have one city-owned hangar building with four spaces in it,” he explained. “One of them is unoccupiable because of the condition of the building, but the other three are occupied by tenants. It needs to be refurbished. Structurally it’s Ok, but the wiring needs to be updated and that sort of thing, and that’s what I mentioned to the mayor, where the money would be best spent.”
 Mayor Randy Hibberd, who visited Metzger last week to give him the news, said the City was only notified of a number and that more details are forthcoming.
 “I don’t know what restrictions there are on it,” said Hibberd of the allocation. “We just got preliminary word about a week ago.”
 Tate confirmed that the City would have to wait to find out about any applicable spending parameters.
 “Funds are very specific for what they could be used for, so we’ll just have to see how we can spend it,” he said.
 According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) website, the money can be invested in runways, taxiways, safety, and sustainability projects, as well as terminal, airport-transit connections, and roadway projects.
Around Idaho
 Of the $25 billion earmarked for airports in the infrastructure bill, $2.89 billion will be allocated nationwide in fiscal year 2022, according to the FFA, the agency distributing the funds.
 In Idaho, airports throughout the state will receive a combined $17.2 million, including the Boise Air Terminal, which will receive $6.5 million; Idaho Falls Regional Airport, $1.8 million; and Pocatello Regional Airport, $1 million.
 Like Weiser, Ontario Municipal Airport will receive $159,000, according to a Dec. 29 article in the Argus Observer.
 Midvale’s Lee Williams Memorial Airport was not included on the FAA’s distribution list. Midvale Airport Manager Karson Craig said it was a blow considering the small airport’s runway is in need of resurfacing.
 “We are just not on the FAA list,” he said on Thursday. “They only fund airports that are on their list and the little ones will slip through the cracks.”
Idaho politicians
 Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, voted for the infrastructure bill, along with Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, citing aviation projects that would improve transportation in a state that has experienced explosive growth, especially in the last five  years.
 “The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is a pro-growth investment in traditional hard infrastructure projects,” Crapo said in a statement. “Regional and rural airports provide vital services to Idahoans and aerial transportation is key to enhancing the accessibility of many communities in Idaho, particularly during emergencies and natural disasters. These investments are especially critical for helping keep pace with Idaho’s rapid growth.”
 

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