The City of Ellsworth has secured over $130,000 in funding for an airport project.
According to the Kansas Department of Transportation, $117,429 in federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funding from the Federal Aviation Administration’s FY 2024 Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) funding program has been awarded, and combined with $13,048 in matching funds from the Kanas Infrastructure Hub and Build Kansas Fund, the total investment in Kansas for this Airport Infrastructure project totals $130,477.
The City of Ellsworth will use the grant to design and construct a new snow removal equipment storage facility at the Ellsworth Municipal Airport. The new building will be used to house a snow removal tractor along with attachments such as a blade, snow blower, broom, snow pusher and bucket.
Matthew Volz, P.E., executive director of the Kansas Infrastructure Hub, said the support provided through the Build Kansas Fund gives communities the financial means necessary to pursue and maximize BIL funding opportunities.
“The Build Kansas Fund provides our rural Kansas communities the funding needed to meet the match requirements of large federal grants,” Volz said. “Having these funds available can make all the difference in whether or not they are able to apply for federal funding opportunities.”
We are committed to ensuring that these funds are utilized effectively to maximize their impact on our community. We are excited to embark on this project and to see the positive changes it will bring to Ellsworth,” said Dustin Stambaugh, Ellsworth City Administrator.
“This award is a significant milestone for our community, and we are honored to have been selected. This award will enable us to make critical improvements that will enhance the safety and efficiency of our local airport,” said Stambaugh.
In addition to these awards, in recent months, the Build Kansas Fund has been used to leverage federal grant awards in the cities of Ozawkie (2), Manhattan, Russell, Concordia, Dodge City, Topeka, Nortonville, the Salina Airport Authority, and Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District #3. The combined total investment by the Build Kansas Fund in all projects is over $23 million, which has resulted in federal grant awards of more than $31 million.
_ _ _
About the Kansas Infrastructure Hub – Formed in 2022, the Kansas Infrastructure Hub connects multiple state agencies and serves as a resource center for Kansas communities to identify best practices for maximizing BIL funding opportunities.
About the Build Kansas Fund – This fund provides state matching dollars for projects throughout Kansas that successfully apply for federal grants under BIL. In 2023, the Legislature approved $200 million for the Build Kansas Fund to provide state matching dollars to Kansas entities and projects to meet federal local match requirements. See kshub.org for more information.
