Vermilion Regional Airport will indeed be receiving a chunk of the 94 million dollars in infrastructure improvements coming from the Rebuild Illinois program. Vermilion Regional Airport Manager Alex Gale says $850,000 will be coming from the state, and that two of the four projects they had applied for state help with have been accepted.
AUDIO: A mill and overlay of the two entrance roads that we have coming into the airport. And that’s something that has needed to be done for a couple years, you know needing some crack sealing done; so this will give us a brand new surface, and we’re excited about that.
The second project, Gale says, will be upgrading and improving the security at Vermilion Regional Airport.
AUDIO: We still have some remaining four foot fence. So this grant money that we have received will go towards replacing the remaining four foot fencing with six foot fencing. And that will also replace our two security gates, with taller six foot security fencing.
Gale says the other two projects they applied for and didn’t get from this state package are more likely to be handled by federal funding. Either way, the plan is for the airport to budget for them. One is for an upgrading of the lights and signage on the airfield, such as with newer styles and LED lights. The other is to repair some of the surface of the aircraft apron and parking on the ramp area.
Gale also pointed out that the work on the entrance roads and security improvements would be able to happen in conjunction with next year’s planned airfield reconstruction project. That’s where the main taxiway will be realigned, pushed out farther away from the runway, so that larger aircraft can be handled.
