State Grant Will Help Fund Airport Upgrade
The City of Hermiston was awarded $150,000 from the Oregon Department of Aviation (ODA) to help fund a reconstruction project at the Hermiston Municipal Airport in the summer of 2021.
The entire project – which will improve the apron where aircraft park for loading, unloading, and fueling – is estimated at $2 million with 90% coming from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the City responsible for the remaining 10% match. The ODA’s Critical Oregon Airport Relief grant, which comes from the statewide aviation fuel tax, will cover 75% of Hermiston’s local match.
The Hermiston Municipal Airport also received $69,000 in automatic CARES funding in Spring 2020. Because of careful fiscal restraint and steady transportation usage at the airport, the City was able to avoid financial losses and save those funds to help meet the local match for the 2021 apron project.
With additional money from ODA now on hand, the City is planning to repurpose the dollars saved up to fund the apron reconstruction project match on a 2-inch overlay of Airport Way. The overlay project will prolong the life of that street, which connects Highway 395 to the airport and is the only route of ground vehicle access.
The Hermiston Municipal Airport primarily serves recreational pilots, agricultural service, and corporate jet traffic, but has seen a recent increase in cargo shipping with 2-3 airfreight flights per day with package delivery serving as many as 12 UPS trucks per day. The airport has also recently seen an increase in usage of its non-aviation commercial and industrial land in recent years, with the addition of an electrical contractor shop, bus barn, and a Umatilla/Morrow County Head Start classroom since 2018.
