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MAP not granted

Meeting to consider Military Airport Program grant nixed

Scott Erbisch

MARQUETTE — The Marquette County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday voted against holding a special meeting to discuss a Military Airport Program grant, essentially declining the funding that could have left the county on the hook for more than $1 million if a project at Sawyer International Airport wasn’t completed.

The grant would have funded the engineering for an expansion and upgrade of hangars 664, 665 and 661 at Sawyer International Airport. The MAP would run through 2022 and the hangars are currently occupied by American Eagle.

The total grant would be in the amount of roughly $1.225 million with a federal share of nearly $1.1 million, a state share of $64,600 and local share of $61,000.

Grant papers are slated to arrive Monday, according to board documents, and must be returned with board approval by Sept. 11.

Because of the quick turnaround needed, Marquette County Administrator Scott Erbisch was not asking for action Tuesday, but wanted the board to consider holding a special meeting to discuss details of the grant and the possibility of pre-approving the grant so that documents could be sent back on time.

Erbisch noted that there is a risk to committing to the project because if the board decides it doesn’t want to expand or update all hangars, the county would have to reimburse the other shares.

“Once you’re in, you’re in,” Erbisch said. “If you go forward and you back out, you may end up having to reimburse the FAA of its money, so there’s some risk to this. Even if you got into this first phase of $61,000 from county … and we backed out, you could conceivably be on the hook for $1 million.”

In total, Erbisch said the county’s risk with approving this project is about $1.6 million.

“If the county is going to be stuck with all of this for this kind of development, it makes no financial sense whatsoever,” said board Chairman Gerald Corkin.

Corkin added that while the board is in support of economic development, being a partner in such a project would be “ludicrous.”

Commissioner Bill Nordeen agreed that the grant was too much to commit to, especially with such little time to make a decision.

“We can’t make these kinds of decisions,” Nordeen said. “I mean a decision that could impact us for a million and a half dollars that we want to make in a couple days, I’d never vote for such a thing.”

The board opposed the recommendation to hold a special meeting and the county’s involvement in the grant overall.

At the meeting the board also unanimously approved a request from Erbisch to enter into an agreement with the city of Ishpeming, pending the latter’s approval, for the leasing of 80% of a pole barn for storage for the Marquette County Sheriff Office’s Rescue 131 and Search and Rescue.

While Erbisch is seeking bids on the construction of a county facility to be used as storage, the department will need another location temporarily as their current lease ends Sept. 23.

The lease terms include an $800-per-month rate and requires the county to purchase a propane heater to heat the facility, which will cost about $7,000, Erbisch said.

In the meantime, he is looking into the county possibly constructing a 50-by-100 foot half heated, half cold storage unit perhaps on county-owned land adjacent to the Marquette County Health Department in Negaunee Township.

Trinity Carey can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 206. Her email address is tcarey@miningjournal.net.

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