Who pays for the $40 million renovations?
The FAA Airport Improvement Program is the funding mechanism used for general aviation projects. This program identifies funding commitments from the federal, state, and local governments. The federal share of most project costs is 95% which comes from a general user fee account accumulated through fees paid by those that use airports around the country. The state share is 2.5% via the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission (“MAC”) and the local share for most components of the project is 2.5% which the City of Pittsfield is responsible for and is currently estimated at $2.1 million. The MAC was also authorized to bond $11.4 million from a Transportation Bond bill approved by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1997. The city’s funds have been set -aside in a dedicated fund by the city council.
