FAA gives JWA $6.9-million grant

Deepa Bharath

The Federal Aviation Administration will hand $6.9 million to the

county’s airport to build a new fire station, officials announced

Monday.

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta said the money

will also help renovate the airport’s commercial runway.

“This grant will help John Wayne Airport maintain the highest

levels of safety in the years ahead,” Mineta said in a press release

issued Monday.

The new Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting building, to replace

Orange County Fire Authority’s station 33, is expected to be

completed next summer, JWA spokeswoman Ann McCarley said.

The airport applied to the FAA in 1999 for grant money to fund the

project, she said.

“We’ve been receiving several grants from the FAA since the

project’s design stage,” McCarley said. “This $6.9-million grant will

help us with Phase 3, which is the construction phase of the

project.”

The county Board of Supervisors will also hire a new construction

firm to complete the project, she said. The airport is now in

litigation with the firm that the board hired April 2002, McCarley

said. She declined to comment further because of the ongoing case.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, who represents Costa Mesa, said the money

will help JWA improve its facilities.

“John Wayne Airport is a small and limited airport,” he said. “We

have to make sure that it’s put to maximum and best use and make sure

we have state-of-the-art facilities and capabilities.”

The grant comes from the Airport Improvement Program of the FAA,

which is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

* DEEPA BHARATH covers public safety and courts. She may be

reached at (949) 574-4226 or by e-mail at [email protected].