Greenville residents, officials fight for airport funds

GREENVILLE – For years, residents and town officials have struggled to raise the local share in an anticipated federal grant for a runway reconstruction at the Greenville Municipal Airport. Now, the state may not be able to contribute its entire share.

The town submitted a Federal Aviation Administration grant request for the $5.12 million project, and an award announcement is expected later this month. If the total package is approved, the federal government would fund 95 percent of the project and the Department of Transportation and the town each would be required to fund 2.5 percent.

The problem is the project has grown over the years from $1.6 million to nearly $5 million. The state, however, has only $80,000 reserved as its match based on the original amount that was included in the DOT’s 2004-05 Biennial Transportation Improvement Program. That leaves a $65,000 shortfall from the state, according to Town Manager John Simko.

“It’s just very frustrating that we worked so hard on the local end, and it appears the project is in jeopardy due to the state’s lack of funds,” Simko said Thursday.

The town has been raising reserve contributions over several years and has secured a commitment for funding from Piscataquis County to meet the local share, he said.

Simko said his Board of Selectmen has written letters to Senate Minority Leader Paul Davis, R-Sangerville, and Rep. Earl Richardson, R-Greenville, encouraging them to include the $65,000 in the bond package now being prepared.

“We support the project, and we’ll do our best to meet the needs of the projects,” Russell Charette, manager of planning, development and engineering in the Office of Passenger Transportation, said Thursday. He noted that “resources are scarce on the state side.”

If the state is unable to fund its share of a $5.12 million project, the town risks having its FAA grant award reduced to match the money available by the state and town, Simko said.