Aug. 14—The La Crosse Regional Airport received a $223,000 design grant Monday to rework the aircraft rescue and firefighting building.
The building opened in 1996 and has not seen major repairs or overhaul since. The new grant is only for the design process, but will help the airport identify updates the building needs most.
Recurring water leaks and general wear and tear have started to take a toll on the rescue building. The water leaks are not at an emergency level, but airport officials want to address the leaks before equipment inside the building is damaged.
Recently-appointed airport director Jeffrey Tripp said officials have worked to get proper funding for several years.
"We're coming up, and past, a quarter-century here with this building, so it's time to address it like any building," Tripp said. "This just happened to be the time we got this one, so it's great for us."
Tripp said he hopes to have designs completed and filed for the new building in about a year. He added that with city legislative processes and grant acceptances, the timeline is typical to get a design off the ground.
Every year, the airport sends grant requests to the Federal Aviation Administration and state legislators for projects as far as five years out.
The design grant funds come from the federal government's Airport & Airway Trust Fund and annual government funding legislation.
The Airport & Airway Trust Fund program started in 1970 to help finance investments in the nation's airport systems. Trust fund cash is accrued from taxes on domestic flights, international passenger arrivals and departures as well as purchases of air travel miles for frequent flyer programs.
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