FAA'S AIRPORT TERMINAL GRANT TO TOTAL $430,000

U.S. Sens. John C. Danforth and Christopher S. "Kit" Bond announced Tuesday that the Federal Aviation Administration has awarded a $420,000 grant to the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport for renovation of the terminal building.

The money is part of the Airports and Airways Trust Fund, which provides airport improvement funding for the nation's "primary airports." Primary airports are those with at least 10,000 enplanements annually.

The $1.1 million terminal renovation project will be funded jointly by the city through Public Facilities Authority bonds and the FAA entitlements.

Also, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources' Division of Energy last month gave the city a $100,000 low-interest loan for energy conservation measures in the renovation project.

Last year, when the city approved the renovation project, officials estimated the FAA would fund about half the costs. But the FAA announced in May that it would fund only about 38 percent of the project.

In 1987, Danforth was instrumental in changing the Federal Airport Development Law that allowed Cape Girardeau to have access to the Airports and Airways Trust Fund entitlements.

Under the old law, primary airports needed 41,500 enplanements annually to qualify for funding. Danforth helped change the three-year Federal Aviation Development law to 10,000 enplanements, which allowed Cape Girardeau to become eligible for $300,000 in annual federal entitlements.

But this year boardings have decreased and likely will fall short of the 10,000 boardings. City officials have said local and state grants will have to be sought to finance future airport improvements.