State awards Schaumburg Airport $157,500 to fund two projects
Schaumburg will receive state grant funding to cover 90% of the $175,000 cost of two upgrade projects planned at Schaumburg Regional Airport.
The grant from the Illinois Department of Transportation's Airport Capital Improvement Program will significantly reduce the village's share of the cost to replace the self-serve fuel pump system and upgrade the security system for the airport's three pedestrian gates.
"The fuel farm was our absolute top priority," Schaumburg Transportation Director Karyn Robles said.
She told the village's transportation committee this week that grants also had been sought for acquisition of new snow-removal equipment, but capital improvements are often prioritized by the state.
Schaumburg's share of the grant funding was part of $94 million made available to public airports throughout the state via the Rebuild Illinois capital program. Other awards included $1.76 million to Aurora Municipal Airport for roadway and parking lot improvements; $1.22 million to Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling to rehab roads and parking; $3.1 million to Clow International Airport in Bolingbrook to replace a rotating beam and taxiway work; and $1.1 million to the DuPage Airport in West Chicago for resurfacing and a new parking lot.
"As people begin to regularly travel again, it is important our local airports are prepared for the uptick in flights," Democratic state Sen. Laura Murphy of Des Plaines said in a written statement about the state funding. "The Schaumburg Airport is a staple of our community - providing dozens of jobs and an efficient way to support residents and the business community."
She noted that Illinois' aviation system is one of the largest in the nation and contributes more than $95 billion per year to the state's economy.
"Investments made to our airports are investments made to our communities," Murphy wrote. "The grants allow smaller airports in our state to make much-needed repairs, modernize their facilities and better meet the community needs."
The cost of replacing the airport's fuel pump and its credit card reader - both of which have reached the end of their useful service lives - is $105,000, of which the grant will reimburse $94,500.
Replacement of the pedestrian gates' keypad access system with key cards will cost $70,000, for which the grant will reimburse the village $63,000. Officials say the new system will strengthen security by providing more controlled and monitored access to the airfield.