Filling in the cracks
NU receives reimbursement grant for airport pavement maintenance
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NEW ULM – The New Ulm City Council accepted two grant offers Tuesday for airport pavement maintenance.
Back in September the council approved grant applications for federal and state reimbursements through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) and Airport Improvement Program (AIP) for completed pavement repairs at the New Ulm Municipal Airport. The two grants were awarded to the city.
City Engineer Joe Stadheim explained that both were reimbursement grants. The airfield pavement maintenance work has already been completed.
In the summer of 2024 a Minnesota Department of Transportation inspection identified pavement cracking and settlement on the airports primary runway and taxiway. The repairs were needed quickly to maintain state licensing compliance. The airfield pavement maintenance was included in New Ulm's bid package for the southeast apron expansion, that was approved in Sept. 2024.
The AIP and IIJA act were both state grant that covered 2.5% of the eligible expenses encumbered by the city. For the AIP grant that is $5,267 and for the IIJA grant, $2,916. However, two previously approved federal grants covered 95% of eligible expenses, leaving New Ulm to cover $8,183 for the project. This remaining expenses were funded by a 2025 bond issuance.
Councilor David Christian said this was good news and made the motion to accept the AIP grant with a second from Councilor Tom Schmitz. Later, city councilor Larry Mack made the motion to accept the IIJA grant with a second from Christian. Both grants were approved by the council.