16 cities receive grants for small airport projects

DOT awarded $7 million from its Small Community Air Service Development Program.    The Department of Transportation has named 16 beneficiaries of $7 million in grants from the Small Community Air Service Development Program.
   The cities to receive the largest grants are:

$750,000	$700,000	$500,000	$450,000	$400,000
Bozeman, Mont.  Columbus, Ga. Columbus, Miss.	Boise, Idaho	Moline, Ill.  Sheridan, Wyo.	Redding, Calif.  Roswell, N.M.	Panama City, Fla.

   Smaller grants were awarded to Gulfport-Biloxi, Miss., which received $350,000, and Rapid City, S.D., which took home $325,000. Yakima, Wash., nabbed $290,000, and Watertown, N.Y., received $235,000. Cheyenne, Wyo., and Montgomery, Ala., both were awarded $200,000. DOT gave Eau Claire, Wis., $150,000.
   The winners are located in 14 states; the department originally received applications for the 12-year-old grant program from 52 airports in 27 states.
   The winners will use the grant money to help attract new carriers, marketing existing local services or even conduct expanded-service studies, according to a DOT press release.
   “Our smaller communities need to be connected to the national and global economies to be competitive,” DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. “These grants will assist communities in obtaining more affordable and reliable air service for residents, which will help attract businesses and provide better travel options for the future.”