Inyokern Airport loses out on $500K DOT grant
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By Jessica Weston
CITY REPORTER
jweston@ridgecrestca.com
Posted Oct. 9, 2014 @ 4:50 pm
The Inyokern Airport did not get a $500,000 Department of Transportation (DOT) grant, according to General Manager Scott Seymour at the Indian Wells Valley Airport District special board meeting Thursday.
The grant was through the Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP), which is “a grant program designed to help small communities address air service and airfare issues,” according to its website. Seymour had earlier said it was hoped the grant would help restore commuter air service to the area.
“Unfortunately we did not get the Department of Transportation grant. I was pretty surprised at that,” Seymour said during his Manager's Report Thursday.
The airport applied for the grant in late July, hoping to help attract a commuter service airline to the airport. Of the grant, $450,000 would have gone to a revenue guarantee which would make up the difference if an airline failed to hit their revenue target.
“The idea is, it lowers the risk for an airline to come in and fly the market,” said consultant Greg Atkin, who advised the airport on the grant process.
DOT was going to look at factors such as isolation, fare levels, current service levels and community involvement in determining to whom to award the grant, said Atkin, who in August estimated the Inyokern Airport of having high odds of receiving a grant. “I think our situation is more credible in terms of needing help from DOT,” he said in August.
“When I looked at some of the recipients [I was] really curious how the Department of Transportation defines small community,” Seymour said at the meeting Thursday.
“Did we get feedback as to why they didn't like us? Do we get a proposal debrief on something like that?” Board member Paul Valovich asked.
Seymour replied that he had heard that the DOT had sent out a standard letter, and that definitions of “small community” were being looked into.
“We don't have any recourse? You can't protest?” Valovich asked. The answer is evidently no.
“I think Paul's got the right though idea when he says 'is there any recourse?' I think there is, sort of. More documentation in the package of people who support. One being the base [would] probably be helpful next time,” Board Member Steven Morgan said.
“They did send a letter. Although it was not included in the package, they mailed it ahead of time,” Seymour said.
During his Manager's Report, Seymour said the airport is still looking to restore commuter service to the area. “We can try again [apply for a grant] next year but we are moving forward with the airline,” he said. “And we're looking still at a target date of sometime around March, April of next year to have someone in here.”
