:: 

U.S. Department 

of Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation 

The Honorable Charles P. Sammarone 

Mayor of Youngstown 

Youngstown, OH 44503 

Dear Mayor Sammarone: 

Assistant Secretary 

July 3, 2012 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

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

the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport for a grant under the U.S. Department of 

Transportation's Small Community Air Service Development Program. 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, particularly issues related to high airfares or 

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

awards each year, although 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 interes~ed in receiving a 

grant this year file their applications 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 will give full and fair consideration to all proposals that have been properly filed. 

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

DOT-OST-2012-0069 as a contact outside the record of this matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. 

Sincerely yours, 

usan L. Kurland · 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Affairs 

... 
CITY OF \~{i01UN.GSTOVVN. 

l\1A YOR CHARLES P. SAI\11\11\RONE 

OFl'TCE OF THE MAYOR 

Cll'Y II ALL •:11J S. PURl'S STRhET • YOUNGSTOWN. OHIO 44503 

PHONE: 330.742.8701 • FAX: 330.7-13J335 

.June 6, 2012 

TI1e Honorable Ray LaHood 

Secretary of Transportation 

U.S. Depart!nent of Transportation 

400 7'h Street, SW Room 6401 

Washington, DC 20590 . 

RE: Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport 

Dear Secretary LaHood: 

Docket DOT -OST-2012-0069 

We are writing to respectfully express our support fot the Youngstown-Warren Regional Aupott's 

grant application for funding under the Small Community Air Service Development Program. A 

successful grant application is one of several steps in the Airport's proposed Passenger Service 

Enhancement Strategy to re-establish regularly scheduled commercial air service in the YoungstownWarren Sharon metropolitan service area. · 

During the past 15 years, the Airport has received in excess of $60 million from federal, state, and local 

government agencies for capital improvements. The local community has formed a vital partnership of 

governments and private organizations and businesses t11rough the creation. of the Western Reserve 

Port Authority) which owns and manages t11e semces in the Airport. Although the conununity is 

strongly supportive of t11e Airpo1t, tl1e lack of competitive pricing and quality air services in the past has 

now caused the Aitpor.t to be l.tndemtilized and has resulted in t11c 800,000 residents of Eastern Ohio 

and Western Pennsylvania to drive to Cleveland or. Pittsburgh fot their air tr.avcl needs. In addition, 

larger auports now require an additional one to two hours for air travelers to secute 'parking and check 

through security systems. The success of other regional airports such as Akron~Canton dearly 

demonstrates that there is a viable place for small to midsize auports in the' aviation industry. Witl1 d1c 

assistance of dus grant, the Airport would be able to offer superior air services at lower costs to t11e 

community and would contribute grearly to securing the future of the Airport. 

Congress developed tlus program specifically to help communities like the Youngsto\vn~Warren-Shawn 

metropolitan service area improve their business di.tnate, spur economic development, and enhance d1e 

quality of life through the development of air service. The Youngstown-Wa1-ren-Sharon metropolitan 

setvice area is the most concentrated manufacturing region in Ohio but has one of d1c highest 

unemploymen.t rates of any metropolitan area in Ohio. As the Ai.tport is a critical component of the 

community's economic development strategy, failure to redevelop air service will only impede ou1: 

ability to attract and retain employers to our community. Therefore, it is imperative that our Airpott is 

successful in. securing funding under the Small Community Au- Service Development Pt:ogram. 

We support and appreciate your positi\•e consideration of the proposal for a Small Community Au· 

Service Development Ptogram grant for the Youngstown-Warren Regional Aitport and the conununity 

it serves. r~ 

· -;:c·f (}D~I~ u Charles P. Satnmarone 

S 10-:. 20G 13-009