U.S. Department 

of Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation 

James W. Johnson 

President 

Pierce Manufacturing Inc. 

2600 American Drive 

P.O. Box 2017 

Appleton, WI 54912~20 17 

Dear Mr. Johnson: 

Assistant Secretary 

July 3, 2012 ?8 

Thank you for your lette1· addressed to Secretary LaHood supporting the proposal submitted by 

theOutagamie County Airport fbr a grant under the U.S. Department of Transportation's Small 

Community Air Service Development Progrant The Secretary has requested that I respond on 

his behalf. 

The Small Community Air Service Development .Program was established to help smaller 

communities address air service deficiencies, pruticularly.issues related to high airfares or 

insufficient service. Under the statute, the Department may make a ma..ximum of 40 grru1t 

awards each yearf althmtgh no more than 4 awards may be to communities in the same State. 

In order to provide communities with latitude in developing solutions to their air service 

deficiencies, the statute provides flexibility in the types of projects that can be funded. 

On May 15, the Department issued an order requesting that communities interested in receiving a 

grant this year file their appli<.:ations by June 11. As these grant requests are pending before the 

Department, I cannot comment on the merits of any particular proposaL I assure you that the 

Department wil.l give full and fair consideration to all proposals that have been properly filed. 

As is our normal practice, I am placing a copy of your letter and this response in Docket 

DOT -OST -20 12*0069 as a contact outside the record of this. matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. 

Sincerely yours. 

Susan L. Kurland 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation ru1d International A tTairs 
Pierce Monutac1urlng Inc. 

2600 AMERICAN DRIVE 

POST OFFICE BOX 2017 

APPLETON, WISCONS!N 54912-2017 

92().832-3000 '" FAX 920-8~2·3200 

www.plercemfg.com 

June 8, 2012 

The Honorable Ray LaHood 

Secretary 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

400 7th Street, SW Room 10200 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

RE: Grant Application of A 1W 

Dear Secretary LaHood: 

I am writing to !SUPPort the application Qfthe Outagamie County Airport (ATW) in Appfeton,WJSoonsin for a 

Srnedl CommunitY Air Service O~elopment Grant I share the airport's goal of attractlng affordable and 

convenient air service to our communi~. h~lping foster business and industry growth. 

Ccmmeroiat air service at ATW is sUffering after the lo.as of United Airline':s direct flight to Denver during this 

economic downturn; as well as Frontier Airline's dlsoontittuation of service to MilWaukee. These seats were 

critical in our market and we need to backfilt the lost capacity. 

A TW is vital to our business. Pierce typically attracts over 10,000 unique visits to the Appleton, Wisconsin 

area eaoh year by our customers and· vendors. The loss of seats and the escalating airfares have a 

detrimental impaCt on our business, which fn tum detracts from the economic impact we can make in the 

community. 

Access to affordable transportation is crucial to industry growth, especially in a community the stze·of Appleton. 

ATWs grant reque$t offers a unique opportunity to fundamentalfv !.ower airline operating costs in this market. 

Lower operating costs for airlines will help stabilize existing service and offer ()pportunitles to grow service, 

unllke t~aditloqal revenue guarantee~. . ': . . 

Air •ntice pt~ys a pivotal role In addressing' th~ tt'$nsportation needs of ou'" community, benefiting not only the 

City of Appleton a.nd Outag~ie County, but aft of norttt~ast Wisconsin. A key ingredienUn building a strong 

and vibrari,t economy Is competitive ~ir S$Vice ;2nd access to the global marketplace. • ' ;; : $ ~, ' 

We rec~nfze the·'lmportancr:iof qualitY eom~er~ial air service to the economy through Improved access for 

visitors, and· most import!!lntly, tCJ support ar~a businesses, organiZation$ and institutions. I ask that you give 

this grant applioatiQn your m0$t thoughffol and serious oonsideration. 

Sin~ly,