Fort Scott Airport is the recipient of a Kansas Department of Transportation managed grant to help safeguard and secure the airport.
Thirty-six projects were selected for Kansas Airport Improvement Program (KAIP) funding for the purpose of planning, constructing or rehabilitating public-use general aviation airports, according to a Kansas Department of Transportation press release. Fort Scott was one.
“The grant will be to replace a gate and install an electric keypad,” Seth Simpson, airport manager, said. “This is the east side gate, near the fuel tanks.”
“The benefit to the public is less potential for loss, due to damage or theft or wildlife damage,” Simpson said. “The benefit to the airport is security and safety.”
On the horizon for the airport is runway resurfacing.
“On April 1, we will be applying for the grant to resurface,” Simpson said. “The FDA already officially, unofficially approved it.”
“Every so many years you have to resurface to maintain the runway, just like a highway,” he said.
There are currently two employees at the airport, Simpson and Bryan Matkin, a maintenance technician, he said.
Twenty-one airplanes are housed at the airport whose owners are from Fort Scott and surrounding areas.
The City of Fort Scott owns the airport, which is located four miles from the city. The phone number is 620-223-5490.
About KAIP
KAIP receives $5 million annually through the Eisenhower Legacy Transportation Program, known as IKE, and requires airport sponsors to share in the project costs by paying between 5% and 50% of the total project. The Kansas Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation, which manages the program, considered 145 project applications this year with a combined total project value of over $78 million.
“The aviation industry brings $20.6 billion in total economic impact to the State of Kansas,” said KDOT Director of Aviation Bob Brock. “The KAIP program helps this important industry remain a vital part of the Kansas economy. That translates into jobs and quality of life for the residents of Kansas.”
The selection board identified $4,968,161 in projects to address the most impactful airport improvements across the state. Please direct any questions to airportquestions@ks.gov.