$2 million received for Moses Lake airport

MOSES LAKE — With the help of $2 million in federal stimulus funds, the Port of Moses Lake is improving the taxi-way area surrounding its T-hangars at the Grant County International Airport.

The port rented the T-hangars to private pilots, but the condition of the aging concrete surface deteriorated to the point where pilots couldn’t taxi an airplane near some areas of the building, said Craig Baldwin, the port’s executive manager.

Some hangars were unusable because the planes couldn’t reach them, he said.

The taxi-lane and apron area were in “pretty bad shape” as they are more than 40 years old, he explained.

He talked about taxi-lanes and runways being a priority with the FAA.

He also spoke about job creation being a priority with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. By repairing the taxi lanes and runway, people would work again with new construction jobs, he said.

Also, having planes in the hangars could put others back to work, because of the possible need for aircraft fuel staff and maintenance people, he said.

Having people use the T-hangars also generates revenue to the area through lease revenues to the port, he explained.

It’s his understanding six other airports received money in Washington, he said.

Granite Northwest provided the low bid for the project, which costs about $1. 2 million, Baldwin said. The port received up to $2 million in federal funds for the project.

He described the improvements as a combination of some grinding of old areas and referred to active and safety areas with the project.

The active area is a full replacement, in which the concrete will be ripped out and replaced, he said.

If the area is considered a safety area, it’s coated over so weeds don’t come through, ground down and repaved over the top, he said.