e •pART-vlENTOF 

US-OeportHMnro f .,, \ r , U/Cri/\iiUr; 0 1200 New jersey Avenoe, SE 

TransportoHon Washington, DC 20590 

Office Of the Secretwy y } ; CD 7 Q p 7: 33 

of Transportation ' ' '-"'' 

The Honorable Leslie A. Combs ^^^ 2 1 2011 

Kentucky House of Representatives 

Frankfort, KY 40601 

Dear Ms. Combs: 

Thank you for your letter supporting the proposal submitted by the City of Pikeville for a 

grant under the Small Conamunity Air Service Development Program (Small Community 

Program). 

The Small Community Program was established to help smaller conmiunities address air 

service deficiencies, particularly issues related to high airfares and insufficient service. 

Under the statute, the Department may use the funds to make a maximum of 40 grant 

awards each year, although no more than four 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 significant flexibility in how the financial assistance 

may be used. 

On July 1, the Department issued an order requesting that communities interested in 

receiving a grant this year file their applications by August 2. As these grant requests are 

pending before the Department, I am sure you understand that I cannot comment on the 

merits of any particular proposal. I assure you, however, that the Department will give 

full 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-2011-0119 as a contact outside the record of this matter. I appreciate your 

interest in this program. If I can provide further information or assistance, please feel 

free to call me. 

Sincerely yours, 

Aloha Ley 

Associate Director 

Small Community Program 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

STATE CAPrrOL ANNEX 

Room 373C 

Frankfort, Kentucky 40601 

245 East Cedar Drive ^11. ^ ^'"^V^mnfi^' 

Pikeville, Kentucky 41501 ^l^ ^ E-mail: leslie.combs@ln:.ky.gov 

LESLIE A. COMBS 

94th LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 

August 12, 201: 

Ms. Aloha Ley 

Associate Director, Small Community Program 

Office of Aviation Analysis 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

W86-310 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

RE: City of Pikeville 

Small Community Air Service Development Grant Proposal 

Docket DOT-OST-2011-0119 

Dear Ms. Ley, 

I am writing to support the above referenced Small Community Air Service Development grant 

proposal, submitted by the City of Pikeville. 

The Pikeville-Pike County Regional Airport (PBX) sits at the center of a 13 county region of 

345,000 people in Eastern Kentucky, Western Virginia and Southwestern West Virginia and is more than 

100 miles from the nearest commercial airport. The PBX Region is surrounded by one of America's most 

important energy producing regions and is ripe for additional economic, industrial and business growth. 

The introduction of scheduled passenger airline service will assist in creating thousands of new jobs. 

The successfiil award of a Small Community Air Service Development grant will significantly 

assist the City of Pikeville and its partners - the Pikeville-Pike County Airport Board and the 

Southeastern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and its consultant in successfully recruiting a regional 

airline which will provide service to a major connecting hub. I am pleased to join my colleagues from 

throughout the region in recommending that the Department provide the SCASD grant to the City of 

Pikeville. 

Very truly yours. 

(^^^^^^^ A, Csy--^ 

Leslie A. Combs 

State Representative 

LAC/lfr