Airport gets $72 million grant

By S. Brady Calhoun News Herald Writer 747-5075 / bcalhoun@pcnh.com

The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday gave a $72 million “stamp of approval” for relocation of the Panama City-Bay County International Airport to West Bay.

Announcement of the grant money came with a letter from Robert Chapman, manager of the FAA’s airports division. “In conducting its funding analysis, FAA determined that both physical and environmental restrictions at the existing site make it impractical and extremely costly to update to meet FAA standards,” Chapman wrote. “Even if FAA were to upgrade the existing site, it would still not result in an airfield that fully complied with FAA standards.”

The money, which is being granted as part of the federal Airport Improvement Program, is not quite in the airport’s bank account.

The recommended funding “is contingent on the Airport District meeting all statutory and administrative requirements,” Chapman wrote.

That includes the issuance of a Clean Water Act Section 404 permit for the project by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, he added. The permit takes into account the impact on wetlands.

The $331 million relocation project is to be funded in thirds by state grants, federal grants and the sale of the current airport property. The 4,000-acre West Bay site was donated by The St. Joe Co.

“This funding is a stamp of approval by the FAA,” U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D Fla., a supporter of a new airport for the region, said in a news release. “This is good news for all of Northwest Florida.”

When completed sometime in late 2009, according to Nelson’s office, the new airport will be able to handle international flights and even the giant Airbus A380.

“This is long-awaited funding that will help the Panama City-Bay County Airport Authority as they work on plans for the first phase of airport construction,” U.S. Rep. Allen Boyd, D-Monticello, said in a news release. Boyd’s office said the FAA projects a discretionary grant payment stream of $25 million this fiscal year, with an additional $27 million in fiscal year 2008, which begins Oct. 1, $15 million in fiscal year 2009 and $5 million in fiscal year 2010.

Airport Executive Director Randy Curtis and Airport Authority Chairman Joe Tannehill held a news conference Friday afternoon regarding the grant. “The ship is heading into the port in the right way,” Tannehill said. Tannehill and Curtis said the next major hurdle is getting the 404 permit. They said the permit would come next month, just as the board is dealing with bids for the first half of construction of the new airport. “It’s been a very positive week,” Curtis said.