The process of releasing federal funds for the installation of a
Pennsylvania Army National Guard armory at Bradford Regional
Airport could be triggered in early February.
According to U.S. Rep. John Peterson, R-Pa.’s, Communications
Director Chris Tucker, the federal funding for the armory is still
in the pipeline, despite the recent scourge of earmarks in
Congress.
Tucker said military construction is covered in a separate
account – thus doesn’t fall under the same danger of elimination
like earmarks.
Officials expect the Democrats to offer or accede to a
continuing resolution either later this month or in early February,
allowing the federal government to continue operating this
year.
“That continuing resolution is expected to be ‘clean,’
essentially eviscerating items related to member project funding
(earmarks) for the coming year,” Tucker said. “Thankfully, military
construction is covered in a separate account, so we’re expecting
the funds that were set aside for the Bradford armory project to be
released once Congress passes that continuing resolution.”
Tucker said February is the likely “trigger date” for the
funding. However, Tucker said it’s unclear at this point when those
funds will finally be available for withdrawal, since the funding
will first have to be sent to the U.S. Army, then onto the state
before eventually be allocated for the specific armory project.
” … At least we know now that the $6.2 million is still safe,
and still in the queue,” Tucker said.
Airport officials have indicated on numerous occasions that the
funding would be released following President Bush signing off on
the federal budget. In March, airport officials signed an agreement
of sale to turn over a portion of the airport’s land for the
armory.
On Wednesday, it was announced the region could lose out on
millions in funding for numerous projects, potentially affecting
the Allegheny National Forest, Bradford Regional Medical Center and
the Bradford Area School District.
Officials said federal funding for the Essential Air Service
program is also safe because it’s normally covered through standard
transportation program funding.
However, advocates of the EAS program will still need to defend
its viability in Congress – and for a fair amount of funding –
because of the Bush administration’s desire to significantly cut
back the program.
“In our rural area, we need the EAS program,” Peterson said.
“We’ll be back in there fighting for it full boar.”
The Democratic leadership is expected to back aviation funding,
in part, because a large number of committee chairmen are from
districts with an EAS airport.
Meanwhile, members of the National Guard toured the grounds
where the armory will be located on Thursday with Airport Director
Tom Frungillo, among others.
Frungillo said the armory project “is still on track” to begin
in the next few months. Thursday’s meeting was intended to discuss
the amount of timber which will be removed to make way for the
armory; the airport will retain the mineral rights at the site and
the ability to harvest timber from any trees that are cut down
during its development.
In a related note, Frungillo said municipal sewage service to
the airport has official begun. That, coupled with municipal water
availability, has helped bring the armory project to reality, along
with the potential for additional development on the facility’s
grounds.
