BDU Tenants,
Keeping with this offices’ commitment to keep you informed of City Council actions/discussions regarding BDU, I provide the following update. This Thursday the Boulder City Council will be reviewing in the 2024 annual city budget – which includes the airport budget - in a “first reading” format.
A Question from a City Council person as posted on the City Hotline:
The CIP budget for Transportation includes approximately $500,000 in capital improvements for the airport(I am not sure where this number is deriving from – the Airport CIP amounts to $863,333 in 2024). Is any portion of this intended to be funded by FAA grant money? If so, that has major implications for our current community conversation regarding the ultimate use of the airport. I believe that the decision to utilize such grants should be a function of the outcome of that conversation. The amounts in question are small enough to be funded out of the airport reserves, if they are deemed necessary, and those funds can be reimbursed via an application for FAA grant money in 2024, if it is the will of Council and the community to maintain the airport. Further research is necessary on our legal position, further discussion is required as to the relative benefits of the airport vs. other uses, and the next Council should make that ultimate decision as contemplated in the next meeting to discuss this issue in early 2025. It would be highly inappropriate to utilize FAA grant money until that conversation is complete, and the final decision is made. If there are any repairs that are required for safety purposes, increase fees, or use the reserve, pending that determination. Please advise on this.
The Planning Board made a similar recommendation to the city council when they reviewed the Airport’s 5-year CIP: Only accept FAA / CDOT grants addressing safety items.
The following table provides a breakdown of FAA/CDOT grant funds that staff expects to leverage with local dollars for airport safety improvements in 2024. Per discussions through the Airport Community Conversation process, staff awaits city council’s direction on next steps for the future of the airport site. In the meantime, airport staff will continue to pursue funds to implement these projects to meet our grant assurances that require us to safely operate and maintain an airport unless otherwise directed.