Airport to receive grant for fencing project – The Republic

Columbus Municipal Airport will receive more than $2.5 million in Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program (AIP) grants for infrastructure and safety improvements. The funds will be used for the airports fencing project.

The grants, which total $2,793,500, were announced Friday by Rep. Greg Pence, R-Ind. The funding includes $279,350 from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which Pence supported in March.

Airport Director Brian Payne said that once the funds arrive, all of the money will go toward the airports fencing project, which includes not just perimeter fencing but also work on back-access drives behind hangars.

Were very happy with receiving the grant, and appreciate the support that weve got from Congressman Pence and the FAA to receive these funds, Payne said. Thatll be a huge improvement for our airport thats been needed for quite some time, so were looking forward to the project.

He said that while the board has already voted to accept the grant, there are still some decisions that need to be made before the airport submits its final plans to the FAA.

The debate for aviation board members now is what type of fence will be requested of the FAA, Payne said.

The design for 10-foot fencing between hangars, which was the initial plan submitted to the FAA, was created by Payne, the airport and its consulting firm. He believes it to be the safest and most secure option.

Tenants, on the other hand, asked the airport to look at a smaller fence between hangars and a larger fence on the outside.

The main concern from the airports standpoint, the administrations standpoint, is that we would have more people coming through what would be the larger fence and the larger gate into their hangar complex or their hangar buildings, Payne said.

He said that some people have also raised concerns about the appearance of the fencing. Payne said the plan is to have a more ornamental black, iron fence around the terminal building and black, PVC-coated chainlink for the rest of the property, not nearly as institutional as some people have feared.

Payne said the airport board will meet this afternoon to discuss the fencing project and hopefully come to a decision about which fence to request. Once a decision has been made, the airport will submit its final plan and numbers to the FAA for final review.

He said that the final numbers shouldnt be that far off from what was originally estimated. Depending on which fence option is chosen, there would be a difference of about 100 or 200 lineal feet of fencing, Payne said.

Payne said that the foremost function of the fence will be to keep out wildlife. He added that it will also limit the number of vehicles that are able to access the airfield.

Where to learn more

More information about the Columbus Municipal Airport is available at columbus.in.gov/airport/.

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Airport to receive grant for fencing project - The Republic