Big Grant Money for Houghton Co. Airport
The Houghton County Airport is becoming safer, as well as easier for pilots to land at and take off from.
It’s thanks to millions of dollars in grant money.
The airport has received $6 million in federal grants this year from the Department of Transportation.
$5.4 million are going to runway paving and repairs.
And they just received nearly $650,000 more for an aircraft emergency rescue vehicle.
Airport Manager Dennis Hext says it’s replacing a similar vehicle from 1993 that’s in good condition, but which the FAA has told them is a little too old to still be in use.
They’d been trying to get the money for 2 years.
But Hext says that’s about how long it usually takes to get federal airport grants.
The new vehicle will also have some firefighting capability, with infrared cameras.
The grants for both the runway work and the new rescue vehicle aren’t part of the economic stimulus bill.