Picente: Oneida County Gets OK to Access Federal Military Airport Program Funds

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. today announced that Oneida County has received re-designation under the Military Airport Program (MAP) so that Griffiss Airport can receive federal funding set aside for capital projects that are transforming former military facilities. The airport has been re-designated for a period of five years, through the 2016 federal fiscal year.

“This designation will ensure the continued development of Griffiss International Airport as an integral part of economic development in Oneida County,” Picente said. “It opens us up to a tremendous amount of funding opportunities that would not have been available otherwise.”

The notification means that the design of nose docks 785 and 786 will be funded in 2012. Oneida County expects that it will seek funding in 2013 for the construction work at those facilities, and that future funding could address construction of a passenger terminal.

“MAP funding is very competitive, and the federal government has made it clear they wanted to limit the number of communities receiving this funding stream,” Picente said. “Thanks to the efforts of Senator Schumer, Senator Gillebrand, Congressman Hanna and others in Washington, we have been able to make our case that the transformation taking place in Rome in which the former air base is being redeveloped as an airfield and Business Park, is the kind of project in which the government wants to invest. We appreciate this designation, because it allows us to have a funding source for these next few years as we put in place some of the critical pieces of our capital plan for Griffiss.”

Oneida County Board of Legislators Chairman Gerald Fiorini said, “This announcement is great news for the residents of not only Oneida County, but the entire region. This continued funding allows us to complete the plans to re-use the airfield, and puts us in a great position to continue to implement other plans for Griffiss International Airport, which will ultimately lead to Griffiss becoming a regional economic hub.”

Having the MAP designation qualifies the County to apply for funding within the pot of MAP funds, which is set aside from the federal Airport Improvement Program discretionary funds. Oneida County will also be eligible to receive grants from other categories of AIP funding on a project-by-project basis.