o 

l i e rkAnnrtmAn t n t Assistant Socretary 1200 New Jer^iey Ave . S E 

U.».UeparTni« m O I Washington. DC 20590 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation 

OCT 2 2 2010 

Mr. Cole Carley 

President/CEO 

Fargo-Moorhead Convention and Visitors Bureau 

200144'^St. S 

Fargo, ND 58103 :i,^ 

Dear Mr. Carley: ~ -~vt:.- C' 

Thank you for your letter of September 3 supporting the proposal submitted by Fargo— 

Hector International Airport for a grant under the Small Community Air Service 

Development Program (Small Community Program). 1 am pleased to respond to your 

letter on behalf of Secretary LaHood. 

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

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

total of $7 million will be available for grant awards in Fiscal Year 2010. Under the 

statute, the Department may use the fiinds 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 30, the Department issued an order requesting that communities interested in 

receiving a grant this year file their applications by August 27. 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-2010-0124 as a contact outside the record of this matter. I appreciate your 

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

free to call me. 

Sincerely yours, 

//-^f^usan L. Kurland 

/ / Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Affairs 
SI 0-1 00014-022 1 

September 3,2010 

Honorable Raymond H. LaHood 

Secretaiy of Transportation 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Dear Secretary LaHood: 

The Fargo-Moorhead Convention & Visitors Bureau (FM CVB) 

enthusiastically supports the possibility of a nonstop flight between FAR and 

DFW. 

FARGO 'MOORHEAD 

The growing number of businesses, especially connected with 

international customers, has been growing rapidly, even in a period of economic 

turmoil. Access to the Dallas-Ft. Worth air facilities opens up a great opportunity 

to connect with Central and South America as well as other international 

destinations. This in turn provides the potential for increased international leisure 

visitors to our metropolitan comratinity, further fiieling the export of United States 

services. 

We ask for your approval and assistance in carrying this idea forward. It's 

another way to ratchet up the American economy. Rural America asks for your 

help. 

Thanks very much for your consideration. 

Yours. 

Cole Carley 

President/CEO 

Fargo-Moorhead 

Convention & Visitors Bureau 

2001 i<itfi St. S. 

Fargo. ND 58103 

800-235-7654 

701-282-3653 

701-282-4366 (lax) 

info9fargomoorhead.org 

www.largomoorhead.org 

( .ji '