Chelan guarantees match for airport runway grant

CHELAN — Chelan City Council approved a resolution March 3 guaranteeing matching funds for a state aviation grant application tied to runway rehabilitation at Lake Chelan Airport.

The resolution commits the city to providing $7,500 in matching funds required by the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Aviation Division if the grant is awarded.

City Administrator Laura McAloon said the action was necessary to complete the city’s grant application.

“You previously approved the submittal of the grant application for the Runway 2/20 rehabilitation and design project,” McAloon told councilmembers.

She said WSDOT requires cities to formally guarantee local matching funds before an application can be considered.

“WSDOT also requires a resolution guaranteeing the availability of matching grant funds from the city, should WSDOT approve the grant application,” McAloon said. “The staff have prepared the resolution for your consideration.”

McAloon noted that funding for the city’s share of the project is already available within the current budget and would not require adjustments.

The grant would support engineering and design work for rehabilitation of Runway 2/20, which includes resurfacing approximately 3,500 feet of existing pavement, repairing cracks and localized surface damage, improving shoulders and restriping runway markings. City officials say the work would extend the runway’s usable life by 10 to 15 years.

McAloon told councilmembers the resolution needed to be approved quickly in order to meet the state’s submission deadline of March 6.

“I know that the deadline is this Friday for submitting that,” she said.

Councilmember Tim Hollingsworth moved to approve the resolution guaranteeing the city’s matching funds, with Agustin Benegas seconding the motion. The measure passed unanimously.

In a separate motion later in the workshop, councilmembers also approved an agreement with J-U-B Engineers Inc. for professional engineering services related to the Runway 2/20 rehabilitation project. The contract covers project formulation, design development, bidding assistance and project closeout services needed to prepare the runway resurfacing project for construction.

That measure also passed unanimously.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media