WILMINGTON — The Clinton County Port Authority will submit applications for four separate projects, totaling about $781,000, in an annual ODOT (Ohio Department of Transportation) Office of Aviation grant program.

The Port Authority owns the Wilmington Air Park.

If funds are granted to the local Port Authority, the local match will come from the Port’s operating budget.

Last year, the Clinton County Port Authority was awarded funding for two of the projects it requested in the Office of Aviation grant program. And recently, the Port Authority received funding from the same source from un-allocated funds for two additional projects.

This week Clinton County commissioners approved sending a letter to ODOT in support of the Port Authority’s grant request.

The commissioners’ May 1 letter states the Wilmington Air Park is home to 12 businesses that today employ nearly 1,500 people. The majority of those businesses are closely tied to aviation operations, the letter adds.

“The number of businesses will increase to at least 13, and the employment totals substantially grow later this year, with the addition of Amazon Air,” the county commissioners state.

The Clinton County Port Authority’s application this year identifies current priorities, the letter goes on. Those priorities include pavement repair and replacement, as well as runway/taxiway painting and signage replacement and obstruction removal or relocation to comply with revised FAA standards and ODOT recommendations.

“It is essential that the continued safety and standards of the air park are invested in and maintained, for the benefit of its aviation users and the benefit of Clinton County businesses and residents,” the commissioners indicate.