Airport lands grant

Dan Scott admitted that he “went a little crazy” for about an hour after the New Hampton Airport Foundation president heard the news last week.And the news that the New Hampton Municipal Airport had secured a grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation Aviation Division to rehabilitate its runway came with plenty of emotion.“I’m guessing my wife [Jean] can probably tell you a few stories about me,” he said. “It was one of the best feelings in the world, and I think I might have acted like a little kid for a while there.”As part of its Fiscal Year 17 State Aviation Program, the Aviation Division awarded New Hampton $352,274  for a project that will cost a little more than $472,374.The grant was one of 47 issued by the division, and among the 26 “airport development projects” that received grants, New Hampton’s was the largest.As happy as Scott and fellow Airport Foundation Board Member Jason Lahmann were, they were quick to deflect the credit despite the fact that the two have put in countless hours of work to secure the grant.“This is a community deal, and that’s why we got this,” Scott said. “The money that has been donated and pledged was only part of it. The letters of support we got were just amazing, and people told us, ‘That’s why you got this.’ We can’t thank the community enough.”For the complete story see the 8/16/2016 New Hampton Tribune.