[Press Release] : Federal budget bill targets city priorities

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Contact: Paula Hertwig Hopkins, Assistant City Manager - (573) 874-7660


Federal budget bill targets city priorities

COLUMBIA, MO (January 3, 2008) - City officials have learned that
Columbia will receive additional federal funds as part of the federal FY
2008 omnibus spending package signed by the president last week.
According to Missouri Senator Kit Bond, the additional funds are
targeted to road, airport and community priorities identified by the
City Council in 2007.

Columbia Mayor Darwin Hindman congratulated Senator Bond and his staff
for their hard and effective work in securing the funds. He also thanked
Representative Hulshof and his staff for work on the budget bill in the
House of Representatives.“Each year,” Hindman said, “the Council
identifies needed investments where federal funds would be helpful to
our citizens. The budget bill will make an important positive impact on
our transportation options, the economic development of our community
and the revitalization of downtown Columbia.”

The budget bill includes $1,984,500 designated for the main runway
extension project at Columbia Regional Airport. Now 6,500 feet long, the
runway will extend another 1,000 feet when complete, allowing the
airport to accommodate larger planes and better serve air cargo
carriers. 

The project is part of the Airport Master Plan, and the Federal
Aviation Administration has indicated the runway should be rebuilt
during the next 5-10 years. With a total estimated cost of $21.7
million, the project will remain on the city’s federal priority list
for at least another year.

Also included is $735,000 to expand and maintain the overpass at
Highway 63 and Gans Road. When complete, the $12.5 million project will
expand 1.4 miles of two-lane Gans Road from Highway 63 to Rock Quarry
Road and extend Gans another 1.2 miles from Rock Quarry Road to
Providence Road.

The project is part of the Columbia Area Transportation Plan. It is
expected to complement development at the University of Missouri’s
Discovery Ridge research park and relieve traffic congestion as growth
in southeast part of Columbia puts more pressure on road networks.

The bill also contained $500,000 to help restore the historic Missouri
Theatre in downtown Columbia. The City Council endorsed the project
because
of its benefit to the community as a whole. Work will include
technology upgrades, restoring the building’s façade, restoring and
expanding the theatre lobby and installing a new elevator to improve
accessibility.

These dollars are in addition to the $249,000 coming to Columbia as a
result of Missouri 9th District Congressman Kenny Hulshof’s work on
the budget bill in the House of Representatives. That funding is
designated for project design services and right-of-way acquisition
associated with the planned east Columbia transportation extension to
Interstate 70.

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