On November 18, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly congratulated the City of Greensburg for receiving $150,000 in Cost Share funds as administered through the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). This project will bring a new utility system to Greensburg Municipal Airport.
“Congratulations to the City of Greensburg for receiving $150,000 in the latest round of Cost Share funding,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “By working with our local partners to invest in our communities, our Cost Share program is improving road safety, mobility, and helping recruit new families and businesses to our state. This project is proof that when we work together to make smart investments in our foundation, all Kansans see results.”
A component of the Kelly Administration’s 10-year, bipartisan Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program, or IKE, the Cost Share program is designed to help rural and urban areas advance transportation projects to improve safety, support job retention and growth, relieve congestion, and improve access and mobility. Greensburg was among 20 transportation construction projects selected for the Fall 2021 Cost Share recipients.
“The project will establish a new utility system at our municipal airport, providing electricity, water and sewer services to terminal buildings, hangars and other future developments,” said Greensburg Mayor Matt Christenson. “The award is especially important since an agricultural services business is planning on establishing operations at our airport once the project is complete.”
The $300,000 total project cost, which has a 50% community match, has a bid letting date of April 2022.
“While our City Council was committed to moving forward with the project with or without the grant award, the award does help reduce the burden on our local taxpayers and will help small local businesses expand their operations and grow our economy,” Mayor Christenson said.
Demand is high for Cost Share transportation dollars. Michelle Needham, Economic Development Programs Manager for KDOT, said 84 communities requested more than $54.5 million in funding for this, the fifth round of the Cost Share program.
“KDOT was impressed with how this round of Cost Share projects hit markers for economic development, safety and community support,” said Needham. “KDOT and our Cost Share partners are working collaboratively to expedite delivery on selected projects.”
KDOT is investing $9.4 million in this cycle of Cost Share, leveraging more than $5.3 million in community matching dollars, a total of $14.8 million in funding through state and local partnerships. Over the initial five rounds of Cost Share, more than 100 projects have received more than $96 million in state funding.
According too Greensburg City Manager Stacey Barnes, the city has applied for an airport project funding grant several times, with disappointing results until this year.
“I think the fact that we put in a higher matching grant figure this time helped us,” Barnes said. “The city had decided to move forward with this airport project whether we got the grant or not, but we are very happy to now know we will be saving $150,000 because of this award.”
Barnes said a local spray business already had made plans to lease space as soon as the new airport is up and running.
“They will very happy to have utilities just as soon as we can get them established out there, ” she said.
The new airport is to be located 3 miles northeast of the Greensburg city limits. In 2019, construction of the first phase of the new Greensburg Municipal Airport began with a 3,200-foot turf runway and an aircraft parking area with tiedowns. The next phase will include paving the runway and expanding it to 4,000 feet with turnarounds, a taxiway, and a terminal building. Utilities will follow.