FAA will cover most of runway project cost

• State will help with village's match

Out of a total runway project of $2.79 million at the municipal airport, Ruidoso only needs to come up with $13,900. Not a bad deal, village councilors agreed.

At their meeting last week, councilors approved matching money for the grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to cover a milling and overlay project on Runway 6/24.

Sean Parker, assistant director at Sierra Blanca Regional Airport, said bids for the work were opened July 28, and the low bidder fell within the engineering estimate.

“We will come to you next meeting to award (the contract),” Parker said. “We’re going to move forward to apply for FAA grant off that bid,” after councilor approved the resolution authorizing the grant application.

The grant will pay 90 percent of the project cost, he said. The village has a match of 5 percent, but officials with the state Aviation Division opted to help with that match, he said. The balance for the village is $13,900, but it was not budgeted previously.

Village Manager Debi Lee said the state agreed to pay 90 percent of the village’s 5 percent, and the amount was included in a recently approved budget adjustment. The airport essentially will be loaned the dollars temporarily from the village’s general fund.

“It’s kind of hard to turn down this kind of money for $13,900,” she said. The state also pays a match to reach 100 percent.