Sandusky County airport awarded $1.6 million FAA grant for apron project

GREEN CREEK TOWNSHIP — With a boost from significant federal funding, the Sandusky County Regional Airport Authority expects to complete work soon on a major infrastructure project at the county's airport.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown announced Thursday the airport authority is getting a $1,687,036 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grant to reconstruct 6,000 square yards of the airport's Apron A pavement to extend its useful life.

Michael Russell, the airport's manager, said Friday reconstruction work should begin later this year and extend into 2023.

Russell said the project, once completed, will extend the apron's lifespan by 20 years.

He said work had already been completed on about one-fourth of the apron, with the remainder to be finished in segments so as to not interfere with Ohio Highway Patrol and emergency medical aircraft moving in and out of the airport's hangars.

The apron reconstruction project is being funded 90% through FAA grants, 5% by the Ohio Department of Transportation and 5% by the airport authority.

Russell said the $1.68 million FAA grant announcement comes as traffic has begun to pick up at the airport.

He said the recent warmer weather has brought more commercial and private airplane flights in and out of the Sandusky County airport.

"Our local fliers, when they get clear skies they all want to fly," Russell said.

Bruce Schrader, the airport authority's president, said in March the authority was looking at a survey to determine what future infrastructure improvements the airport could need to expand growth on its ground side of operations.

In recent years, the airport has secured FAA funds to start work on the apron reconstruction.

Brown (D-OH) announced Thursday that the FAA had awarded a total of six grants to city governments, county governments, and organizations located in Northwest Ohio, totaling $4,607,779.

dacarson@gannett.com

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