Who wouldn’t want to receive $1 million? Sawyer International Airport recently was awarded this amount by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Sawyer was one of five airports to receive the approximate $1 million, with the others being Ford Airport, Delta Airport, Houghton County Memorial Airport and Chippewa County International Airport.

The funds are for personnel, cleaning, sanitization, janitorial services and basically battling the spread of pathogens in the airport.

U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Lansing, said in a statement that the investments will make air travel “safer and more reliable” and help communities rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. Stabenow said they also will encourage businesses to invest in the regions and create jobs.

Earlier this spring, Sawyer received over $4.6 million from USDOT, with the airport planning to use the money for a hangar rehabilitation project.

Marquette County Administrator Scott Erbisch told The Mining Journal that when Sawyer uses local contractors, the funding will move into the county — “and that’s a good thing for the community.”

Duane DuRay, who has been manager of Sawyer International Airport, wrote about funding challenges in a recent edition of the online newsletter Rural Insights.

“Sawyer International Airport is a unique airport,” DuRay said. “It is neither small nor large, but is a medium-size airport with many users with many needs.”

Challenges for a medium-size airport, he noted, include providing services to support diverse customers.

“Sawyer International needs to balance the needs to the revenue while supporting a very broad spectrum of operators and services,” wrote DuRay, who mentioned the airport is situated in a region with long winters, frequent snow events and frigid temperatures.

When requesting any funding from the Airport Improvement Program — the primary funding source for airports from the Federal Aviation Administration — an airport will provide a Capital Improvement Plan to the FAA that will look into the future as far out as 10 years, DuRay said. Each project will undergo a vetting process to ensure it remains in the national goals and ranking for importance.

Sawyer’s projects planned over the coming years, he said, include a reconfiguration to update the current terminal, as well as creating more space in the sterile area of the terminal to allow for more passenger seating after the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint.

Other plans for the airport, DuRay said, are rehabilitating taxiways and aircraft parking ramps.

All this, of course, takes money and fortunately, Marquette County has a good track record in being awarded additional funds for many projects.

Sawyer International Airport provides a crucial service for the community, and we’re glad to see it’s the recipient of financial help to further its mission.