### U.S. Department ofTransportation Office ofthe Secretary ofTransportation



### Mr. Timothy Hulbert, IOM Chamber President, Charlottesville

Regional Chamber ofCommerce 209 Fifth Street, NE Charlottesville, VA 22902 DearMr. Hulbert: Assistant Secretary 

# AUG 26 20t4 ... - .. l····-'

. -,.___ '

-. .-"' -, _::

..''·.'.1200 NewJersey Avenue. SE

.**:,'u'/Xa~l1lngton,** DC 20590



### Thank you for your letter, addressed to Secretary Foxx, supporting theproposal submitted by Charlottesville Albemarle Airport Authority for a grant under the U.S. Department of Transportation's Small Community Air Service Development Program. Secretary Foxx asked that I 

### respondto youonhis behalf. The Small CommunityAir 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 inthe san1e State. To provide communities with latitude in developing solutions to their air service deficiencies, the statute provides flexibility inthe types ofair service developmentprojects that can be funded. On June 30, the Department issued an order setting a deadline ofJuly 31 

### for applications. As these grant requests are pendingbefore the Department, I cannot comment onthe merits ofany particularproposal. I assure you, however, that the Department will give full and fair consideration to all proposals that have been properly filed. As is our standardpractice, I am placing a copy ofyour letter and this response inDocket DOT-OST-

## 2014-0113 as a contact outside the record ofthis matter. I appreciate your interest in this program. Sincerely yours,

Susan 

## L. Kurland Assistant Secretary 'for Aviation and International AffairsFormore than a century"
... dedicatedto representingprivate enterprise, business

Dear Mr. Secretary: andenhancing the qualityoflife in ourGrf!oterCharlottesville communities." cvillechamber.com • 209 Fifth Street, NE • Charlottesville, Virginia 22902
July 

### 23, 2014


### RE: Charlottesville-AlbemarleAirportAuthority Federal Small CommunityAir Service DevelopmentGrantProgram Community Partner- Charlottesville Regional Chamber ofCommerce

The Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce as always, is pleased to supportthe Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport Authority's (CHO) 

### $200,000 grant application tothe United States Department ofTransportation's Small CommuniityAir Service Development Program (SCASDP). OurAirport's grantapplication highlights the need in today's highly competitive world to both, attract new air service, as well as to retain and improve the new and existing air service. The Charlottesville Albemarle Airport Authority is di!ligent in attracting new and expanded air service to CHO, but economic and industry events outside its control, adversely impact CHO's hard work and successes. The availability 0fqualitycommercial air service has a powerful impact on our region's economythrough improved access for our area's globally-competitive enterprises; thousands of business visitors and even greater numbers of tourists; two critically important US defense intellegence agencies and associated defense intellegence enterprises; one ofthe nation's leading universities; and, other civic organizations and institutions. For more than a century our Chamber is dedicated to representing private enterprise, promoting business and enhancing the quality of life in our Greater Charlottesville communities. Founded in 1913, todaythe Chamber has morethan 

### 1,200 member&. affiliate member enterprises together employing more than 

### 45,000 men and women, representing an estimated total payroll of more than 

### $1.75 billion a year. Our Chamber helped give birth to the Airport. In 1947, aftersurveying, researching, and investigating an "ideal location" for a Charlottesville Airport, the Chamber came to a conclusion with a report sponsoring a location forthe CharlottesvilleAlbemarle Airport. The Chamber Board of Directors then sentthe reportto the City ofCharlottesville and Albemarle County for "implementation." The Charlottesville Albemarle Airport opened in 1955, after several years of regulatory approvals atthatvery same "ideal location" identified 

### by the Chamber in 

### 1947. Ours is an enduring 67-year**"public~private"**partnership that has helped to build and maintain our Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport as a signature regional transportation facility in our Greater Charlottesville region. Our airport is a key portal into our community and a link to our nation and the world. Each year more than 460,000 people take offfrom or land at our airport, representing aggregate airport revenues of morethan $4.3 million. The continued sustenance and progress of "CHO" as a safer, more efficient and increasingly affordable transportation artery remains essential to the economic vitality ofour region.



### -2.
As you know well, our national air transportation industry continues to work through difficult economic challenges. Throughout these challenges, in Charlottesville, theAirport Authority and its management team enjoy our Chamber's and community's confidence and support. With this in mind, our Chamber is pleased to participate in this program to help increase air service into our region. By incorporating the use ofour effective direct Chamber business communications in your airtravel promotions, this partnership will help insure that a broad range of business, university and community leaders- and travelers- will avail themselves of more frequent airtravel. As one ofthe Authority's community partners, our Chamber will provide in-kind programmatic communications and otherstrategic and administrative support and assistance tothis initiative. We estimate the in-kind value ofthese items to be in excess of $4,500. Where small community air service initiatives are concerned, it is partnerships such as ours that can help make the difference between having sound, efficient, improving air services or not. We have every confidence thatthe CHO program will have the full support ofour Chamber and its memberenterprisses and the Central Virginia business community. Again, our Charlottesville Regional Chamber is pleased tojoin the Charlottesville-Albemarle Airport Authority as a community partner in this Federal Small CommunityAir Service Development Grant Program initiative. Mr. Secretary, our Chamber urges yourfavorable consideration ofthe Charlottesville- Albemarle Airport Authority's grant application and we look forward to a successful renewed partnership in building air travel forour region. Thank you.

The Honorable Anthony Foxx Secretary ofTransportation Office ofthe Secretary United States DepartmentofTransportation Sincerely,

# ~~~- Timothy Hulbert, IOM Chamber President