Feds defend RFD stimulus grant

By Thomas V. Bona

BusinessRockford.com

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ROCKFORD — Federal officials are defending a $1 million federal stimulus grant to Chicago Rockford International Airport to expand its international arrivals facility, despite the project scoring low on a priority rating formula.

This week, Subsidyscope, an initiative of the nonprofit Pew Charitable Trusts, released a database highlighting airport projects funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and each project’s “National Priority Rating.” The rating is one of several tools the Federal Aviation Administration uses to prioritize projects and is the only formula-based one.

Rockford’s project had the lowest rating of any project that got stimulus funding, according to Subsidyscope. It scored 31 on the 100-point scale, and an FAA memo said the agency was focusing on projects that scored at least 62.

But the rating isn’t the only thing that mattered, and the Rockford project had other things going for it, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said.

The agency gave special consideration to outdated terminal buildings at small airports, Brown said, even if they didn’t score well in the rating system, which gives more points to runway, taxiway and apron projects. The FAA is allowed to award grants to low-scoring projects as long as there is such justification, and about 15 percent of its stimulus projects were under the target score.

“In some instances the terminal buildings did not have the adequate capacity to meet the needs for passengers using the airport,” Brown said. “In other cases terminal buildings are not designed to readily accommodate TSA baggage and passenger screening requirements or did not meet current design standards.”

The Rockford project also met the criterion of being “shovel-ready” so work could start right away.

Even though Rockford only gets about 6,000 international passengers a year, it also handles about 10,000 U.S. military troops arriving on Ryan International Airlines, airport Executive Director Bob O’Brien said. The airport also can handle international charters, such as the planes hired by Oprah Winfrey to send 1,500 people to Europe earlier this year.

Before the expansion, the facility could only handle 150 people at a time. Once the project is done this fall it’ll be able to handle about 300. Because military groups are often at least 200 people, the old configuration had troops waiting outside at times.

The expansion also allows the airport to use the facility as a domestic arrivals gate during peak times.

While the airport is only 213th in the country in passenger traffic, O’Brien said, its rapid growth — up from 630th a few years ago — is another reason for the project.

The airport also is targeting more international flights, particularly to Ireland and the Caribbean.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., supported the original application and the award.

“Improvements to the airport not only stimulate economic development in the region but also ensure that passengers are transported safely and efficiently,” spokeswoman Christina Mulka said.

The airport’s other stimulus project, rehabilitating a taxiway used for cargo and passenger service, scored a strong 66 in the rating system and received $3.6 million.

Contact staff writer Thomas V. Bona at 815-987-1343 or tbona@rrstar.com.

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