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Cecil Gets Another Round of Funding JAA to Receive About $3 Million From Military Airport Program for Work at Ex-Naval Air Station.

Posted on: Tuesday, 26 July 2005, 12:00 CDT

The Jacksonville Airport Authority will receive about $3 million in federal funding for capital projects at Cecil Field, the former naval air station on the Westside.

The money comes from the Military Airport Program, which provides funding to transform former military airports to civilian use. Cecil has been in the program for the past five years -- receiving between $2.5 million and $3 million a year -- and was approved for three more years of funding.

It is not unusual for airports that have been in the program to receive additional funding, said Federal Aviation Authority spokeswoman Marcia Adams, who said that Cecil Field was selected this year because it had "a nice and complete package."

The Airport Authority will use the money for a range of refurbishing work at Cecil, including upgrading the electrical system, repairing the drainage network, renovating a hangar and demolishing some old buildings. The authority will also repair the fire suppression system at the site and remove some left-over military fueling equipment that is not needed for civilian aircraft.

Much of the infrastructure at Cecil Field dates back to the 1950s, when the base was constructed, said Bob Simpson, the director of general aviation at the Airport Authority. Simpson has been overseeing the transformation of Cecil from a military base to a civilian airport since the 1990s, when he oversaw the transfer of the land to the city while working in the mayor's office.

During the first five years Cecil received MAP funding, the airport authority renovated all but one of the hangars at the site and upgraded much of the electrical system. This year's funding will let the authority take care of the final hangar and finish the electrical work, Simpson said.

"The money we're getting from the [Federal Aviation Administration] and [the Florida Department of Transportation] goes into bringing the airport up to a condition where we can lease the facility out and attract more customers," Simpson said. "We want to provide a safe operating environment for all of our users."

Cecil Field was one of four airports selected for the Military Aviation Program this year, with the others located in Arizona, Ohio and Guam. Eleven other airports are already in the program for this year, with all 15 of the facilities splitting $34 million among them.

The Airport Authority will not see the money for several months, Simpson said, since it first has to get specific grant requests approved by the FAA. Contracts should be signed and work should begin sometime in September, he said.

Cecil is home to a variety of industrial tenants, including Flightstar, which repairs large aircraft, and Florida Community College at Jacksonville's Aviation Center of Excellence. Brazilian jetmaker Embraer is in the process of building a facility at the site.timothy.gibbons@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4103

Source: Florida Times Union

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