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United States Senators Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters announced Thursday that Houghton County Memorial Airport was the recipient of $1,008,477 in grant funding from the US Department of Transportation. The money isn’t necessarily a surprise. The Airport Improvement Program is awarded based on the amount of people who fly at the facility. Manager Dennis Hext spoke at February’s County Board of Commissioners meeting, telling members that even with reduced traffic due to COVID-19, they still met the threshold.
The money can be used for “operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial services, and combating the spread of pathogens at the airport.” Hext says from March 2020 through January, the airport saw half the number of flyers compared to 2019.
The full release from Michigan’s senators is below.
U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (MI) and Gary Peters (MI) today announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation will be awarding $1,007,549 to Ford Airport, $1,020,062 to Sawyer International Airport, $1,008,477 to Houghton County Memorial Airport, $1,008,286 to Chippewa County International Airport, and $1,006,476 to Delta County Airport. This funding will go toward costs related to operations, personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial services, and combating the spread of pathogens at the airports.
“These investments will make air travel safer and more reliable,” said Senator Stabenow. “It will help our communities rebound from the pandemic and encourage businesses to invest in the region and create jobs.”
“As we work to emerge from this pandemic, safe and reliable air travel is critical to keeping Michiganders connected to important markets and destinations,” said Senator Peters, a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. “I was proud to help enact this funding to help airports across the Upper Peninsula overcome COVID-related revenue shortfalls, retain staff and better protect traveler health and safety.”
More information on the Department of Transportation Grant program can be found at http://www.dot.gov/grants.
