Levin to Help Celebrate Grand Opening of Sawyer Airport

WASHINGTON Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., will be in Marquette on Saturday to attend the grand opening of Sawyer International Airport at the former K. I. Sawyer military base. Levin will speak at the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the conversion of the former military base.

"After years of work and planning, it is wonderful to see the opening of this vibrant civilian airport," Levin said. "Throughout the entire process, it has been an honor to work with the numerous talented, motivated individuals who strove to make this vision a reality. I am delighted to have had a hand in helping to make available the resources needed to move the Marquette Airport to K. I. Sawyer and helping the community transform the former base into a civilian facility which will bring new jobs to the area and revitalize the economy."

Since the base closed several years ago, Levin has worked to help secure funding for the community to convert the base into a full-service civilian airport. In 1997, Levin authored legislation which changed the requirements for the Military Airport Program (MAP) so that the K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base conversion reuse plan would qualify for funding. Prior to Levin's amendment, K. I. Sawyer -- and many former military airports -- were ineligible for funding because MAP funds were reserved for airports that would alleviate congestion in metropolitan areas. Since the passage of Levin's amendment, however, K. I. Sawyer has received a total of $6.9 million in FAA funds, most of which was MAP money. These funds were used to help construct the passenger terminal, renovate the airport maintenance building and improve the existing runway.

Together with Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Menominee, Levin also helped to secure funding from the Air Force to assist the redevelopment efforts at the Base. The Air Force agreed to provide up to $2.5 million to install heating units and $1.5 million per year for five years for general upkeep at the Base. The K. I. Sawyer planning commission is hopeful that the updates to the heating units will help to attract commercial tenants who may have concerns about the Upper Peninsula's winters.

The K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base closed in 1995.