The Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport has received two grants totaling $2,568,454 for marketing and terminal construction.
During its meeting last Tuesday, the Brownsville City Commission voted to accept both grants.
The Federal Aviation Administration granted the airport $2,318,454 for the construction of a new terminal, reducing the city’s burden to build the facility.
“There’s constant improvements, but an airport is kind of like a small city,” Airport Director Bryant Walker told The Rider after the meeting. “We have cargo areas, we have tenants, we have industrial park-type buildings … as well as the terminal itself, so just the maintenance and upkeep is routine.”
The four-year project consists of the replacement of the airport terminal, site preparation, drainage, parking lots, airport access roads, demolition of the old facility and ramp construction, according to the application for federal assistance.
Over the last year and a half, the airport has installed a new beacon, completed a 20,000-square-foot cargo building. It will add a non-stop flight to Chicago starting November 2018 and running through April 2019.
The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded the airport $250,000 for a marketing program to help support the increase in flights at the Brownsville/South Padre International Airport.
“We go to the airline and we say, ‘If you’ll fly the specific route, then we can help match marketing funds for that route,’” Walker said. “That kind of helps the airline spread the word and … get the participation and their ticket sales up.”
Earlier in the meeting, Mayor Tony Martinez held a moment of silence in remembrance of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
District 2 City Commissioner Jessica Tetreau reminded attendees that coastal Texas is under possible arrival of a tropical disturbance.
“We need to continue monitoring the weather,” Tetreau said. “We need to be prepared. Make sure that your family has water, canned food, batteries, charged cell phones … just in case it does head this way,”
Interim City Manager Michael Lopez added that all major pumps are operational and the city will continue monitoring the weather to be prepared to handle the heavy rains.
