Federal funding for the renovation of the General Aviation building at Wenatchee's Pangborn Airport has been slow to materialize, but with the help of Congress members, progress is being made.
The Port of Chelan County had hoped for $3 million in grant money from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but this fell through. Now, the Port is working to access the same money through U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell's office, and funding is expected to be announced in the fall. However, the FAA has now demanded an environmental assessment, which will delay the project. The assessment is required because the building is an eligible historic site, and an earlier assessment concluded that the building is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places.
The Port has agreed to pay $159,883 for the assessment, which may be financed through FAA grant money. Once completed, the project could go out for bid this fall, with construction beginning in early 2024, assuming funding is in place.