Lake in the Hills Airport nets $500K federal grant

The Lake in the Hills Airport, which is maintained by the village, recently was awarded nearly $500,000 in federal grant funding to buy land for a future half-mile access road.

The village’s Public Works Director and Airport Manager Fred Mullard said the grant money will be used to reimburse the village for buying a parcel June 4 of a little more than an acre. The funding also will pay legal fees for the purchase of land owned by Snelten Excavating; the grant will not pay for demolition of the company’s office.

Mullard said the village is working with the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Division to get funding for the access road, of which construction could begin in 2014 or 2015. The road will connect with Pyott Road.

“We’re trying to get money within the next year to start on the road,” Mullard said. “We already own the land where most of the road will be built.”

Overall, the Lake in the Hills Airport will receive $498,479 in funding, which was part of a competitive grant program through the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program.

The grant is part of more $1.6 million for two Illinois airports; about $1.1 million will go to the Lewis University Airport in Will County for runway improvements.

“Today’s funding will help these airports continue serving their users safely and efficiently by making needed improvements and upgrades,” said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said in a prepared statement.