MANSFIELD — The city is in the process of securing grant money from the state to help cover the cost of a project at the Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport.
According to Bob Bianchi, city engineer, Taxiway E is currently considered a safety concern by the Federal Aviation Administration.
However, the city has an opportunity to obtain approximately $750,500 in grant money to remove, relocate and straighten this taxiway in accordance with current design criteria, he said.
The project is estimated to cost $790,000, which would require the city to use $39,500 of local money as a match, he said.
Third Ward Councilman Jon Van Harlingen said there is enough money available for the match, which will be taken out of the unappropriated general fund. “There is no problem financially with this,” he said of the project.
Council approved the appropriation of $39,500 from the unappropriated general fund for the grant match at its meeting Tuesday night.
Council also approved legislation that authorizes the safety service director to file a grant application and to accept a grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation Office of Aviation to advertise for bids and enter into a contract to reconstruct and straighten Taxiway E.
“ODOT wants to see a resolution or ordinance from the city stating that we’re serious about this project and that we have the local money available to support this project,” Bianchi said.
Bianchi believes the city will be able to secure the grant funds. “We’ll know probably in a couple months,” he said.
Construction would begin approximately 13 months from now, he said.
