Federal funding will help airports

Federal funding approved recently is good news for several dozen Iowa’s airports. Michelle McEnany nee), director of the state Department of Transportation’s Office of Transportation, says the money goes to nearly 70 general-aviation airports and the eight that provide ticketed service to travelers. She says the so-called “Vision 100” will go a long way toward helping Iowa communities achieve flexibility without more spending. One change is that towns will only need to put up a five-percent match for the federal money they request for airport improvements like lighting or a longer runway. The program could bring more than 106-million in federal money for Iowa airport infrastructure through 2007, and McEnany hails it as positive support from the federal government for Iowa’s air-transportation system. The federal funding package called “Vision 100” also reauthorizes money through the year 2007 for federal aviation programs like EAS, the Essential Air Service program that’s helped the airports at Mason City and Fort Dodge keep their airline service since 9/11.