U.S. Department 

of Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation 

Mr. Andy Van Meter 

Chairman 

Sangamon County Board 

200 South Ninth Street, Suite 201 

Springfield, IL 62701 

Dear Mr. Van Meter: 

Assistant Secretary 

AUG 25 2014. 

1200 New Jersey Avenue. SE 

Washington. DC 20590 

Thank you for your letter, addressed to Secretary Foxx, supporting the proposal submitted by 

Springfield Airpo11 Authority for a grant under the U.S. Department of Transportation's Small 

Community Air Service Development Program. Secretary Foxx asked that I respond to you on 

his behalf. 

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

communities address air service deficiencies, particularly issues related to high airfares and 

insufficient service. Under the statute, the Department may make a maximum of 40 grant 

awards each year, although no more than four may be to communities in the same State. To 

provide communities with latitude in developing solutions to their air service deficiencies, the 

statute provides flexibility in the types of air service development projects that can be funded. 

On June 30, the Department issued an order setting a deadline of July 31 for applications. As 

these grant requests are pending before the Department, I carmot comment on the merits of any 

particular proposal. I assure you, however, that the Department will give full and fair 

consideration to all proposals that have been properly filed. 

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

DOT-OST-2014-0 113 as a contact outside the record of this matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. 

Sincerely yours, () 

Susan 

~ L. Kurhmd 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Atiairs 
SANGAMON COUNTY 

COUNTY BOARD OFFICE 

200 South Ninth Street, Suite201 • Springfield, 1162701 • Tel. (217) 753-6650 • Fax(217) 753-6651 

July 28, 2014 

Honorable Anthony Foxx 

Secretary 

US Department ofTransportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

RE: Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (SPI), Spdngfield IL 

Small Community Air Service Development Program Application 

Docket DOT-OST-2014-0113 

Dear Secretary Foxx: 

Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport located in Springfield remains a critical economic 

engine for Illinois' Capital City and a large portion of Central Illinois. Our local airport 

provides necessary air transportation services to a broad and diversified population 

base in the Springfield area. It endeavors to serve the air transportation needs for a 

strong local private business sector, large base of governmental entities, number of 

educational institutions, diverse medical services sector, vibrate tourism trade and two 

locally situated military installations. 

Sangamon County has always maintained an excellent working relationship as a 

public partner with the Springfield Airport Authority. By this letter, we renew our 

support for our local airport as we seek to enhance and grow the commercial air 

service options at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport. Given the current state of a 

consolidated airline industry, the fact that Springfield has higher airfares relative to 

other similarly situated airports in the region and leaks considerable amount local air 

travelers to other airports, it is imperative that we are solidified as a community and 

increase our efforts to ensure we retain vital passenger air transportation with the 

network air service providers currently operating in our community. 

We fully support the airport's community orientated awareness program to achieve the 

goal of reversing leakage to other airports and to grow ridership on the network air 

service providers currently serving our community on a daily basis. We thank you in 

advance for your favorable consideration of this application made in partnership with 

the Springfield Airport Authority. 

ffi(1(: fftt;-

Andy Van Meter, Chairman 

Sangamon County Board