Federal grant helps fund Bend Airport master plan

Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley announced Monday that airports in Hillsboro, Albany, Klamath Falls, Bend and Grants Pass will receive a combined $14.3 million in federal grants for facility improvements and aviation training.

“Quality of life throughout Oregon requires secure and reliable movement of products and the people who transport those goods,” Wyden said. “These transportation resources will help to provide much-needed safety and dependability improvements for airports serving Oregonians living and working in and around Hillsboro, Albany, Klamath Falls, Bend and Grants Pass.”

“In this day and age, high-quality reliable airport service is critical to creating jobs and growing local economies,” said Merkley. “We need to make sure that smaller communities aren ‘t left behind in this global era. These grants will help support crucial air service in communities throughout our state.”

The total of $14.3 million in federal Transportation Department grants will be distributed as follows:

· $12.3 million for the Hillsboro Airport

· $950,000 for the Albany Municipal Airport

· $620,000 for the Crater Lake-Klamath Regional Airport

· $279,249 for the Bend Municipal Airport

· $150,000 for the Grants Pass Airport

Bend Municipal Airport Manager Gary Judd said the federal funds will go toward an updated airport master plan, costing nearly $600,000 and budgeted for part of the city’s capital improvement projects planning process.

“We hope to get started on the process this fall and expect it to take about two to three years to complete,” Judd said Monday.

“With all of the growth in Bend, the airport is following suit,” Judd said. “And although the last plan was completed in 2013, the FAA determined that an update was needed to reflect the current status and to identify potential upgrades or safety enhancements that might be needed.”

The airport also was just offered a Federal Aviation Administration grant for nearly $400,000, Judd added.

“The more we can identify of what the community expects, what do our neighbors expect, the people on the airport, what is going to make it viable for them, what do they need to see in the future,” Judd said. “Obviously, the overriding concern of everything is safety. That comes first, and then we fit in all the rest of the pieces.”

One of the potential projects to be considered in a new master plan is a runway extension, the airport manager said.