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By Brad Kellar/Herald-Banner Staff
Monday, October 24, 2005 1:04 AM CDT
The City of Greenville and L-3 joined forces to land a $6.5 million grant to pay for needed improvements at Greenville’s Majors Field Municipal Airport.
City officials applied for the grant, which will be used to upgrade the airport’s runway, and L-3 Communications Integrated Systems agreed to pay for the match of the grant.
The City Council is scheduled to accept the grant during Tuesday’s regular session agenda, starting at 6 p.m. in the Municipal Building, 2821 Washington Street. A work session is also set for 5 p.m. Tuesday.
In July of last year, city officials submitted a letter of interest to the Texas Department of Transportation Aviation Division for a grant for a major runway improvement project.
In a memo to the Council, Lori Philyaw, Community Relations Manager for the City of Greenville, explained how the existing asphalt pavement on the 8,000 foot runway is approximately 14 years old and in need of either surface renewal of reconstruction. As the condition of the asphalt continues to deteriorate, Philyaw said there is a risk of loose particles entering aircraft engines and causing severe damage.
The cost of the improvements, which will require using the parallel taxiway as a temporary runway during the construction phase, was estimated at $6,520,000.
As L-3 is the largest tenant at the airport and uses the runway on a daily basis, the company agreed to provide the 10 percent match of $652,000 making the city eligible to receive the grant.
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