WATSONVILLE—Watsonville Municipal Airport has been awarded two grants that will allow it to update its master plan and its pavement maintenance management plan.
The grants of $550,000 and $110,000 from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are highly competitive, said Airport Manager Rayvon Williams.
According to Williams, the FAA sets aside about $150,000 every year of so-called entitlement funding for airports.
It also sets aside a much larger amount of discretionary funding, which are much more competitive and typically go to larger airports.
“The fact that Watsonville was able to make a case for discretionary funds is important,” he said.
Williams said the success came after he outlined how the airport would use the grant to build on a successful three-year planning effort of projects in 2017, 2018 and 2019. This included resurfacing work and new signs on the runways in May 2019.
“When we were informed there was little likelihood we’d be able to leverage that good work as a springboard to support updating the Master Plan, especially an effort of over a half a million dollars, we didn’t blink,” Williams said.
Williams said the master plan will serve as the guiding document for future operations at the airport. The last one was adopted in 2003, and the last pavement master plan in 2010.
“The aviation world has changed quite a bit since then,” he said.
Williams said the airport was aided in its proposal efforts by Capitola-based Kimley-Horn engineering, airport consultant Reinard Brandley and Congressman Jimmy Panetta’s office.
The planning process takes about 18 months, Williams said.
