Federal Government Excess Hits Local Level?

Fayette Regional Air Center needs a new airport layout plan in order to qualify for federal grant dollars. But such plans aren’t cheap – it’s estimated to cost $350,000.

Thankfully, the County should get a grant to cover most of that cost. One county resident questioned whether this is something that needs to be examined by President Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency .

Airport Manager Debra Maddox presented a grant agreement from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to the Fayette County Commissioners Court at their last meeting on Feb. 13. “This is a typical grant agreement that you sign for the projects with TxDOT,” Maddox said.

According to the terms of the grant, TxDOT, on behalf of the Federal Aviation Administration, will cover 95 percent of the estimated $350,000 cost of producing the layout plan – essentially an updated map of the airport.

“Is that really a $350,000 grant for a site plan?” asked Plum resident William Bernsen.

“It’s the airport layout plan,” Maddox said. “There’s a lot involved with that. And it’s grant money.”

The federal government will pay $332,500 and the County will be responsible for $17,500.

Terms of the grant stipulate that the State will pay for any cost overruns not to exceed 25 percent According to the grant agreement, the plan is supposed to include the following:

• boundaries of the airport, proposed additions and any offsite areas used for airport purposed;

• the location and nature of all existing and proposed airport facilities such as runways, taxiways, aprons, terminal buildings, hangars and roads, along with any proposed changes;

• the location of all existing and proposed non-aviation areas; • all proposed and existing access points used to taxi aircraft across the airport’s property boundary.

Fayette County Emergency Management Coordinator Angela Hahn said the airport layout plan will be needed to apply for any other grants for improvements at the airport. While the plan might come at a deal for Fayette County, federal funds pay for projects like this all over the nation.

“This sounds like something for the Department of Government Efficiency,” Bernsen said, referencing President Donald Trump’s initiative to cut waste, fraud and abuse in federal spending.

The Commissioners Court voted unanimously to sign the agreement with TxDOT.