Airport work stalled after feds taxi on Faribault Daily News

The federal government is the gift that keeps on giving these days.

Among the increasing taxes and deficit and the poor economy, this week it was discovered that the federal money expected to pay for nearly all the work slated to be done at the Faribault Municipal Airport has not arrived.

The City Council gave its blessing to repave the runway, rebuild the taxiway farther away from the runway and repave the plane parking area. The total cost of the project is $3.2 million of which Faribault was paying $162,200 through the sale of airport land for the new Armed Forces Reserve Center.

The money was first supposed to be released in May, and then in June. Now, the FAA says the city could get the money in July. But it’s the federal government, so nothing is certain.

And while airport officials say the delay hasn’t affected operations, the project did cause the demise — at least for this year — of Airfest, which it now appears could’ve gone on after all.

But in the spirit of neighborly love (or united anger at Washington, D.C.) nearby Dodge Center, which has more than $100,000 in federal airport entitlement funds it couldn’t use, offered to transfer the money to Faribault so work could begin. The city will have to return the favor in 2013, when it doesn’t have a project scheduled.

Such generosity, unprompted, restores our faith in the common bond of small communities.

But not in federal government.

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Member Opinions: By: atlascollapsed on 7/17/10 Boy I cant wait until we have govt running healthcare. By: secretsquirrel on 7/17/10 Won't be much different than self-insured companies with health insurance. The bills might be paid when they have the cash.
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