SEL, Schweitzers donate $2 million to airport project

Monday, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Inc., donated $1 million to help fund the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport (PMRA) Runway Realignment Project, and SEL founder Ed Schweitzer and his wife Beatriz matched the donation with an additional $1 million.

"The Schweitzer and SEL donations put us over the top for the local match," Airport Manager Tony Bean said. "These gifts will help us to give the region a competitive advantage for maintaining the quality of life enjoyed on the Palouse as well as attracting and retaining companies, jobs, students, faculty and families."

In a press release announcing the $2 million donation, Pullman Mayor Glenn Johnson said this donation will help to move the project forward.

"Dr. Schweitzer has generously shared his suggestions and insights for improving the efficiency of the project," he said. "Over a year ago, he sent letters to the Washington and Idaho Congressional delegations that assisted local efforts to lower the local match. I was thrilled when he called me back in June to let me know that the donation was coming. It's great that we can now let everyone know how SEL and the Schweitzers are helping us complete this critical project that will benefit the entire region."

The donations bring the local match for the airport project to approximately $8.85 million, Bean said.

Bean said the local match needs to total 8.125 percent of the project cost, roughly $7.2 to $9.6 million, depending on how much the total cost of the project winds up being. The target cost, he said, is $89 million, and the contigency cost is $119 million.

"We're in that range now," he said.

Bean said SEL has a "vested interest" in the airport and he is "very, very grateful" for the donation.

Additional funding has also been secured from other local entitities.

Moscow has pledged $500,000 per year for five years, as has Pullman, totaling $2.5 million from each city. Latah County has also pledged $100,000 for 2016, and the University of Idaho has pledged $500,000. WSU is expected to pledge as well, but Bean said that figure is unknown at this time until the airport and WSU can determine what university land is involved with the runway realignment. Additionally, the airport has received a $250,000 per year grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation Aviation, totaling $1.25 million, to fund the project.

Bean said the airport board still plans to meet with the Idaho Transportation Department Division of Aeronautics and the Port of Whitman County, in addition to WSU, for additional funding for the local match.

Mead and Hunt, the airport's engineering firm, said the airport improvements are expected to generate 200 new jobs and approximately $25 million in revenue through jobs, wages and spending.