County airport lands $3.1 million FAA grant

Funding helps expand aircraft parking to 99,300 square yards at Rifle Garfield County Airport

Press Release
August 4, 2020

GARFIELD COUNTY, CO – Garfield County has secured a $3.1 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) toward a project to expand the Rifle Garfield County Airport apron, allowing for additional parking space for aircraft. The total cost of the project, which has been contracted to Scott Construction and Armstrong Engineering, is $3,763,741.

Garfield County had already committed $644,000 toward the project out of the airport’s land improvement capital fund. The expanded parking apron will provide an additional 18,000 square yards, up from its current apron square yardage of 81,300, creating space for up to an additional 18 large aircraft.

Originally slated for 2021, the FAA recognized the need for additional aircraft parking and offered to help the county move the project up a year. The original grant offer of $2,650,000 helped move the project to 2020, and the FAA then contributed an additional $461,000 to help cover the total project cost.

“We want to get this contract approved so they can start construction in two weeks and get it completed before winter,” said Rifle Garfield County Airport Director Brian Condie to the Board of County Commissioners.

The commissioners accepted both the FAA grant and the contract to Scott Construction unanimously, 3-0.

“I want to say thank you to the FAA and the state for recognizing our need and giving us an unanticipated $3.1 million,” Condie added. “Let’s keep moving forward at the airport.”

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