By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The Hays Regional Airport will get a $1,049,358 federal grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which can be spent as needed at the city-owned and operated facility.
Jamie Salter, airport manager, calls it a "huge benefit," even as commercial passenger boardings on SkyWest have declined considerably, something she anticipated with stay-at-home orders issued across the nation.
Hays is an Essential Air Service (EAS) community, currently served by SkyWest under the United Express brand, which has a federal contract to provide 12 flights a week between Hays and Denver.
"They are petitioning the Department of Transportation (DOT) to decrease that basically by half, one flight six days a week," according to Salter, "but have not heard back on that yet."
The decreased number of flights would be temporary.
U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, R-Kan., announced April 14 Kansas airports will receive $53 million in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) through the Phase III Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
"Traditionally, grants with the FAA you can't use for operational expenses, but this you can," Salter explained. "The costs for operating the airport are quite significant."
The one-time grants can also be used for capital projects.
Salter says the Hays airport will use about half of the million dollar grant to pay for removing and restriping of paint marks on the main runway and several taxiway connectors.
"Continually painting the same markings over and over, the base is not in the best shape and you can have flaking and then damage to the markings. Eventually you do have to pull them off and then put them back down. The scope of that is just enormous."
Although the funds have been awarded nationally, each airport must still submit formal applications for their project plans.
Salter expects the restriping project to get underway in late summer.
"We have to meet all the FAA safety and security concerns for painting near an airfield."
The remainder of the Phase III CARES Act grant will be used for general airport operations, Salter added.
The airport is still operating as an essential service and is the only city facility open to the public at this time.
Some of the flight traffic is coming into Hays is because FBOs (Flight Based Operators) at other area airports are temporarily closed.
"We also have people come in and out for work, medical coming in and out, KHP (Kansas Highway Patrol) and EagleMed operate from here.
"We still have all of that going on. There's still a lot of general aviation that happens," Salter says, "although we've seen a decrease to some extent.
"A lot procedures have been into place by us and SkyWest in what we do to ensure cleanliness and making it as safe for the public as we can.
Other northwest Kansas airports receiving the CARES/FAA grants are:
• Atwood-Rawlins County, $30,000
• Cheyenne County Municipal, $20,000
• Great Bend Municipal, $69,000
• Hill City Municipal, $20,000
• Ness City Municipal, $20,000
• Norton Municipal, $30,000
• Oakley Municipal, $1,000
• Oberlin Municipal, $30,000
• Phillipsburg Municipal, $30,000
• Rooks County Municipal, $20,000
• Russell Municipal, $30,000
• Scott City Municipal, $30,000
• Smith Center Municipal, $20,000
• Trego WaKeeney, $1,000
• Tribune Municipal, $20,000