Kanabec County Times

By Hope Murray

The Mora Municipal Airport will soon receive $450,000 in federal funds to make upgrades to its infrastructure, according to information from the offices of U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, and Tina Smith, D-Minnesota.

The funds are made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

According to airport manager Joe Kohlgraf, this award will be used for a “planning study for the runway and taxiway reconstruction project before the planning phase.”

“This is also money toward taxiway replacement blacktop construction project for this year,” he added. Along with these federal dollars, part of a “couple of items” his department had applied for in 2023, will come funding from Minnesota Department of Transportation Aeronautics and Aviation and local city government. 

“Investments in our airport infrastructure serve as a down payment on the long-term economic well-being of our state,” said Klobuchar. “By enabling upgrades, this federal funding will help boost efficiency and improve safety for travelers at Mora Municipal Airport.”

Smith called the Mora Municipal Airport “a key transportation hub and economic driver for Mora and its neighboring communities.”

Kohlgraf agreed, noting that the MMA is used to bring business people to the city, entertainers to the area before their performances at Grand Casino in Hinckley, and as a place for local flying enthusiasts to house their personal planes.