Tazewell County Airport Authority

Tazewell County Airport Authority, a Virginia county government airport authority, operates as a federal grant recipient exclusively under the Federal Aviation Administration's airport development and infrastructure programs, with no federal contract prime or subcontractor footprint. The Authority is a U.S. local government entity — not a for-profit vendor — and therefore does not compete under SBA set-aside categories or government-wide acquisition vehicles.

The Authority's entire federal relationship consists of FAA formula and project grants under CFDA 20.106 (Airport Improvement Program), CFDA 20.116 (Airport Improvement Program formula grants), and CFDA 20.117 (Airport Infrastructure Grants program). The Authority has received 20 awards over the past two decades, all from the FAA's Eastern Region, totaling $5.5 million in combined obligations. Recent activity spans two customer agencies — both operating units of the Federal Aviation Administration — with identical award counts, reflecting the administrative split between the FAA centrally and its regional office. The FAA accounts for 100% of awards across the portfolio.

Recent grant work reflects the Authority's capital-infrastructure and operational-resilience focus. Three concurrent grants awarded in 2025 and 2026 fund construction phases of a new 6,800 square-foot aircraft storage hangar designed to generate revenue and improve the airport's financial sustainability: a $400,105 project grant under the Airport Improvement Program (CFDA 20.106) awarded September 9, 2025, with completion targeted September 8, 2029; a $275,418 formula grant under CFDA 20.116 awarded June 1, 2026; and a $118,876 project grant under the Airport Infrastructure Grants program (CFDA 20.117) awarded March 23, 2026, with completion targeted March 22, 2030. An August 2025 formula grant funds obstruction-removal and easement acquisition for five of seven parcels identified by the FAA as obstructions to airport operations, with phase-one completion targeted August 14, 2029. An August 2024 project grant funds the design phase of five additional box hangars totaling 13,600 square feet for aircraft storage. Earlier grants supported runway-lighting reconstruction (2021) and pandemic-relief economic assistance under the American Rescue Plan Act (2021). The Authority serves the Richlands, Virginia area from its Cedar Bluff, Virginia location and receives grants as the sponsor and operator of a county-level public-use airport facility.