Airport to use federal dollars to pave 1,800 feet of taxiway

The Palatka Municipal Airport is one of 388 airports in the U.S. to receive money from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program.
Positively Putnam FL

The Palatka Municipal Airport has secured federal money to complete the paving of its taxiways.

The airport received a $1.2 million grant for taxiway paving, lighting and drainage improvements from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program. The program provides grants to public agencies and private entities for the planning and development of public-use airports.

The airport’s Taxiway A was built 20 years ago and Taxiway B was constructed 17 years ago, according to city documents.

Airport Manager John Youell said 1,820 feet of taxiway, the concrete path that planes use to traverse around the airport, would be repaved at no cost to the city.

“We’ve redone both runways and all taxiways,” Youell said. “This is the last piece of asphalt in that plan.”

Youell said the surface planes travel on must be maintained.

“As far as pavement is concerned, it’s a very nice situation when you’ve got all of your pavement in good condition,” Youell said.

More than $845 million in grants was awarded for projects in July. The focus is on easing environmental impacts, boosting accessibility and expanding airport capacity, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in an FAA press release.

“We don’t want to just build our airports back to the way things were before the pandemic,” Buttigieg said in a statement. “We want our airports to be better than ever, accessible to all, delivering maximum benefit to their communities and helping directly and indirectly create jobs for millions of Americans.”

Palatka Municipal Airport has acquired more than $20 million in grants for more than 20 projects since 2004. The airport will add six to eight T-hangers and LED lighting to old and new hangars. The Airport Advisory Board also wants to relocate the main entrance and construct a new access road by the fall of 2023.

Airport Advisory Board member Wayne McClain said more executives from major companies are flying into the airport now and the facility is constantly trying to grow and adapt to meet the business needs of Putnam County.

“Overall, the grant is just a continuation of upgrading the airport. That’s been great over the last 10 years,” McClain said. “It’s increased business from new pilots and who we have now.”

In June, the airport received $59,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act. The airport received $23,000 for operational and sanitization costs from the FAA in March and $30,000 from the FAA in 2020.

The money can be used for a variety of costs such as cleaning products, personnel or debt service.