Title
RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING AN ADDITIONAL 2023 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITY FOR THE CITY OF DULUTH REGARDING FUNDING FOR AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL TOWER AT DULUTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
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CITY PROPOSAL:
WHEREAS, the city desires to establish additional legislative priorities for 2023, and
WHEREAS, the city and Duluth Airport Authority want the Minnesota legislature to appropriate $14,000,000 to the Duluth Airport Authority to predesign, design, construct, furnish, and equip a new air traffic control tower at the Duluth International Airport, and
WHEREAS, if approved by the Minnesota Legislature, a portion of this appropriation will be used as a match to federal funding for construction of the air traffic control tower project.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that an additional 2023 legislative priority for the city of Duluth is to seek $14,000,000 in state funding for the Duluth Airport Authority’s air traffic control tower construction project at the Duluth International Airport.
Statement of Purpose
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE: This resolution sets an additional city of Duluth priority for the 2023 legislative session to attain a $14M appropriation from the Minnesota legislature for construction of a new air traffic control tower at Duluth International Airport. The Duluth International Airport (airport code “DLH”) serves a unique mix of general aviation, airline, military and research and development flights totaling over 65,000 operations per year. The air traffic control tower (ATCT) significantly and extensively contributes to the safety of air commerce at DLH, the city of Duluth, and surrounding communities. The ATCT facility is more than 70 years old and past its useful life. It is one of the oldest ATCT facilities in the United States. A $14M appropriation from the Minnesota legislature will leverage more than $38M in federal funding available through an Investment in Infrastructure and Jobs Act Program. This program is only available for five years. This funding will be used for: demolition of three blighted buildings to make away for the new ATCT, the environmental assessment and final design of the new facility, commissioning the FAA’s participation in the design and certification of the new ATCT, and relocation of an access road to the DLH airfield.