Westmoreland County Airport Authority

Westmoreland County Airport Authority, doing business as Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, operates as a local government entity and airport authority receiving federal infrastructure grants from the Federal Aviation Administration under the Airport Improvement Program (CFDA 20.106 and 20.116) as a prime grant recipient. The authority receives formula grants and project grants to fund airport infrastructure modernization, including terminal expansion, taxiway and taxilane reconstruction, aircraft rescue and firefighting equipment, weather observing systems, control tower rehabilitation, and snow removal equipment at its regional facility in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

Recent grant awards span terminal capacity expansion in multiple phases—a $5.555 million Phase 2 award (July 2024) for site preparation, utilities, exterior and interior construction; a $3.422 million Phase 3 award (July 2024) for utility work, HVAC systems, and fire suppression; a $1.460 million Phase 5 award (June 2025) for baggage carousel construction and interior build-out; and a $504.788 million Phase 6 award (August 2025) for second-floor demolition, hold room build-out, and storefront replacement. Infrastructure replacement awards include a $2.222 million Phase 4 taxiway reconstruction award (July 2024) for 400 feet of Connector Taxiway D, a $1.884 million final-phase taxiway reconstruction award (July 2024) for 400 feet of Taxiway E, and a $416.652 thousand taxilane rehabilitation award (June 2026) for 5,300 feet of general aviation taxilane pavement. Equipment and facilities awards include a $1.111 million project grant (July 2025) for ARFF vehicle replacement, a $349.493 thousand award (June 2025) for Automated Weather Observing System replacement, and a $1.2 million award (July 2024) for control tower Phase 2 work including elevator installation and cab glazing replacement.

The airport authority's federal footprint is concentrated in FAA formula and project grants, with the Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration and its Eastern Region accounting for the substantial majority of recent awards. The authority also holds two General Services Administration Basic Ordering Agreements for lease and rental of office buildings—GS03B03326 (48 task orders, $58 thousand combined potential value) and GS03B07381 (40 task orders, $3.4 million combined potential value)—and manages a small number of Department of Homeland Security Transportation Security Administration awards for facility support. Total obligated federal funding across all awards reaches $82.1 million against combined potential value of $4.2 million, reflecting the authority's role as a recipient of multi-year infrastructure investment grants with long execution timelines extending into 2030. Only one award faces ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, indicating a pipeline of ongoing federally funded modernization work.