Millville pins development future on $2 million in funding for airport

MILLVILLE – The city’s airport has long been considered the linchpin in the city’s economic recovery, a unique resource that, someday, could bring additional development, jobs and wealth to the county.

Officials on Wednesday announced that Millville Municipal Airport would receive $2,026,963 in federal funding. U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R-2nd, said the money will be applied to infrastructure improvements and fund future development plans for the airport.

Much of the funding, which comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Discretionary Grant Awards account, will be used to rehabilitate the airport’s taxiway and on new safety-related construction.

The airport also received $265,000 in federal funding to be used specifically to update its master plan and identify future development needs.

Although the airport has lost several high-profile companies in the past few years – such as Dallas Airmotive, an engine manufacturer that packed up nearly its entire operation in Millville this past decade – the Delaware River and Bay Authority, or DRBA, was able to land a contract with Boeing earlier this year and is expecting other companies to follow as a result.

Millville also is planning for an airport industrial park that officials want to see become the center for development and job creation in the city.

“Getting the news today that the city of Millville will be receiving the funding … is wonderful news for the economic recovery effort of the city,” Mayor Tim Shannon said.

For Millville officials, the success of the airport is tied directly to the success of the city. Planners developed the concept of an airport industrial park based on the expected continued success of the airport in attracting businesses. And the neighboring New Jersey Motorsports Park has called the airport integral to its own success.

Don Ayres, the city’s economic development director, said the site next to the airport was an obvious choice for a new industrial park, given its proximity to the racetrack and the airport.

The city felt so strongly about the site that in the past few years it has spent more than $7 million on site remediation to eliminate the waste and munitions dumped there by the U.S. army decades ago.

LoBiondo, who is a member of the House Aviation Subcommittee, has called the Millville airport underappreciated. He expects that to change. In a statement last week, LoBiondo said the funding will go a long way to helping the city and the DRBA realize development plans for the airport and surrounding area.

The contract with Boeing is for four years and is expected to employ as many as 100 people. This funding, LoBiondo said, will help attract other companies to the airport.

“This federal funding will go a long way to improving our local transportation infrastructure and continue the momentum created earlier this year,” he said.

By Edward Van Embden

Press of AC

Published August 9, 2010