County Submits for Substantial No-Match Airport Grants

By DIANNE ALWARD-BIERY

Cleaver Senior Staff Writer

HARRISON – A full contingent of commissioners attended the Feb. 24 meeting of the Clare County Airport Committee: Gabe Ambrozaitis, Rickie Fancon and David Hoefling.

After approval of the day’s agenda and the previous meeting’s minutes, the first order of business was the Airport Manager’s Report, wherein Emerson Corder noted the runway’s lights were finally 100% fully functional [with lightbulbs replaced], and the controlling radio installed and tested out. Corder said that new radio is a big step up, and that if the frequency needs to be changed in the future, it would take only seconds.

“I think that’s a great addition for the airport,” Ambrozaitis said. “I think it will be a definite safety feature for pilots.”

Corder also noted that he and Ambrozaitis had attended the Michigan Association of Airport Executives where he had been able to meet many area airport managers and vendors common to airports in the state and nation.

“Got some helpful information to work off,” he said. “Especially regarding fuel.” He also spoke of ideas about expanding electricity for current and future hangars.

Corder informed about the Advanced Air Mobility Program, which he thinks the county needs to look into: basically, it deals with drones and how they will become part of everyday life.

“The quicker we get onboard, I think the better,” he said. “It’ll help modernize the airport, and the word ‘vertiport’ is now a thing. It’s not a heliport, it’s a vertiport, and a vertiport is for drones.” He urged space for a vertiport be set aside for the future in the airport’s master plan.

Corder informed of another thing learned at the meeting, which was about a company called WTE which produces electricity from municipal waste.

“It takes about 7 acres to set up for the whole site,” he said. “I think it would be not only good for the community to find an alternate way for electricity, but a good way to get power for the airport and some sort of revenue.”

Drones don’t come without legal guidelines, and Corder noted multiple pending Michigan House Bills.

Corder also reported there had been planes equipped with skis which had landed that month to get some lunch at Jackie’s Airport Restaurant. Ambrozaitis noted that some research revealed there are very few airports in the state which have a restaurant adjacent to them, which accentuates the specialness of 80D having that amenity available.

Another item on Corder’s to-do list was working with the fire department to establish a fire response plan, something that likely will include the sheriff’s department and Jerry Becker, Emergency Management Director.

Corder said he is just learning how to deal with wildlife, noting a small herd of deer hangs out on the west side of the airport property – which thus far have stayed clear of the runway.

Also noted was the airport property survey, which Corder said was complete with the final documentation received and submitted to the county clerk’s office. Additionally, Corder said some help would be needed with grading around the terminal building once the weather warms and the inch of ice inside the building can be addressed. He said that will be one of the things to be dealt with that weren’t done correctly when the building was first constructed – before it becomes a structural problem.

Next was the plan for the tetrahedron, which Corder said would come down, and moved temporarily to a cement pad. Then it will be getting the old windsock down and the old cement pad down, and straightening out the taxiway. That will also open up space for an additional two lots for hangar expansion.

Ambrozaitis then described having met with Gen. Wagh [Brigadier General Ravindra V. Wagh] in Lansing after the MAAE Conference.

“Thankfully, I received an hour of his time,” Ambrozaitis said. “I provided him a copy of the engineer drawings from Jared Jorgensen. I provided him our 5-year plan. I provided a copy of what Chief Jeannotte provided us after the survey last year. And we had a far-ranging discussion about how they can help us.

“And he is going to send a small team of officers or NCOs to come up here to fulfill the criteria that is needed to put the project into the Department of War system for Individual Readiness Training. If its’s in that system/portal, units can find it, grab it, and go do it.”

He explained the project was not contained there already, because the original plan was to have Michigan units do the work – but only four Michigan units could do that work, and they are tasked: coming back from deployment or getting ready for deployment in the state, along the border or in the Middle East.

“By opening it up to the IRT process, it opens it up to all engineer units in the military, regardless of branch,” Ambrozaitis said. “That’s what we talked about, and the things that I asked him to help with now is the terminal; also to build out the west gate entrance. A potential for the one unit he does have, has a mission of building runways, and to maybe in 2028-2029 come back and build a new runway. That’ll give us time to prepare for that, as well as get permission from the FAA to change our runway.”

He added that the general gave him a thumbs up, and said the work should be very doable, and he would let Clare County know.

“That was a good meeting, and left on a good note,” Ambrozaitis said. “I’ve done some follow-ups with Chief Jeannotte, and there is some movement on that issue.”

New Business brought up an MDOT grant opportunity for FY 2026. Ambrozaitis explained that at the MAAC Conference Bryan Budds, director of MDOT Aeronautics, announced there is $5.2 million of state appropriations for the grant process. Last year’s grant process resulted in 80D lights funding.

He explained that the Legislature had put $5.75 million in the FY 2026 budget but didn’t allocate any money. Now, $5.2 million seems to have been found, and there again will be competitive grants.

“So, we’re going to put in [for] two grants now,” he said, adding that some of the legwork had already been done thanks to the Clare County Road Commission. “One grant we’re going to compete for is to pave our taxiways. We have an engineering estimate, and after we straighten it, we may need to remeasure it, but the road commission has given us that engineer’s estimate so we’re a leg up already on getting that grant.”

He said the second thing being put in for is money to fix the turf runway, which also requires an estimate which already was provided by the road commission, as well.

“So, between these two projects – depending on how it shakes out and where we get the aggregate, and how we can trim some costs – it’s probably somewhere in the vicinity of $450,000 for grants. It might be less.”

He reminded that since this is a state appropriation, it will be 100% state money with no match from the county.

“That’s big,” Ambrtozaitis said. “We’re looking forward to getting those. The announcement is not out yet, but Bryan Budds said ‘get ’em ready to send’ so that’s what we’re going to do.”

Ambrozaitis also noted having spoken with Bob Balzer who would help to get the airport in touch with the engineers at Consumers Energy to help figure out how to get power to all the hangars, as well as west of the hangars for future development.

Also, that day County Administrator Lori Phelps had put in for a Department of Transportation grant opportunity at the federal level. Phelps, who also was in attendance, said she really appreciated working with Ambrozaitis on the grant, adding that it included a lot of phone calls and a lot of hours.

Ambrozaitis explained that it was a big packet, and although Phelps had a lot of the requested information, it also included project budget, project description, merit criteria, readiness to show the county is prepared to receive the award, as well as using Google Earth to create a profile of the project parameters.

“In the end, we got it [done], along with eight letters of support from local leaders,” he said, adding that it is a planning grant with no county match. That award will not be announced until June.

Also addressed was a meeting date change. Originally, the May Airport Committee meeting had been advanced to avoid any potential Memorial Day conflict, but scheduling now dictates it return to May 26, the regular fourth Tuesday, and the Committee moved to approve that change.

Under Upcoming Events, the schedule remains static: Easter Egg Drop [Egg-Stravaganza] is set for April 11; and the tentative plan for the Summer Fly-In is June 27, with a rain date of July 11. Ambrozaitis noted having ordered 500 of the balsa wood gliders for distribution to kids at the egg drop.

Under Public Comment, local pilot Carl Lounsbury spoke of an Experimental Aircraft Association magazine ad for an online subscription for Fly and Eat that informs where pilots can “fly and get their hamburgers.” He urged Airport 80D to get listed there. Ambrozaitis noted some Michigan airports with restaurants on the airfield as Clare, Dalton, Owosso and Battle Creek.

“Some of the other airports are realizing it’s a competitive advantage to have a restaurant on the airport,” he said.

Visitor Pat Adams inquired about the south gates remaining open, and learned it had been done for ease of snow removal and to accommodate J. Ranck Electric workers. He also spoke of an anonymous blogger who questioned the lease of a hanger without an airplane, as well as why multiple people are accessing the airport through a gate marked Authorized Vehicles Only. It was explained that the hanger will be used for aircraft repair, and the gate is access for not only fire and EMS, but also the electrical crew, Airport Committee members, airport manager, volunteers and pilots.

“Before people start throwing stones, they should know the real answers,” Adams said.

“I agree 100%,” Phelps added.

“They’re always welcome to come to this forum,” Ambrozaitis said.

Fancon said he didn’t think the posts were getting any traction, because people know who it is.

Lounsbury also spoke of remote gate openers, the best-rated being Ghost Controls, which are operated by battery. He offered to foot the bill for one to place by the county hangar. Ambrozaitis added that part of the federal planning grant includes redoing the airport entrances.

The next two Airport Committees are slated for 4 p.m. Tuesdays, March 24 and April 28 in the Board of Commissioners Room of the Clare Couty Building, 225 W. Main St. in Harrison.