City Council Memorandum
TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL DATE: OCTOBER 21, 2025 FROM: CITY MANAGER’S OFFICE WARDS: ALL SUBJECT: RESOLUTION FOR THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION AIRPORT GRANT IN THE AMOUNT OF $283,366 WITH A GRANT MATCH REQUIREMENT OF $14,170 FOR THE DESIGN PHASE OF RUNWAY 9-27 EROSION CONTROL PROJECT AT THE RIVERSIDE MUNICIPAL AIRPORT – SUPPLEMENTAL APPROPRIATION ISSUE:
Consideration of a Resolution authorizing acceptance of a $283,366 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to the City of Riverside for the design phase of Runway 9-27 Runway Safety Area Erosion Control project at Riverside Municipal Airport RECOMMENDATIONS:
That the City Council:
Adopt a Resolution authorizing receipt of a $283,366 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to the City of Riverside for the design phase of Runway 9-27 Runway Safety Area Erosion Control project at Riverside Municipal Airport.
With five affirmative votes, upon grant award from the Federal Aviation Administration, authorize an increase in revenues in the amount of $283,366 and appropriate expenditures in an equal amount to the applicable grant accounts in the Airport Fund, Erosion Control Project revenue and expenditure accounts; and Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute a grant agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration including making minor and non-substantive changes.
BACKGROUND
Riverside Airport is a Federal Aviation Administration-designated Reliever Airport located in Riverside, California. Owned and operated by the City of Riverside, this General Aviation (GA) Airport is served by a federal contract control tower, operated part-time 7am-8pm local, seven days per week. The Airport has two runways – runway “9/27”, which is 5,401 ft long, and runway “16/34” which is 2,850 feet long. The Airport includes approximately 550 acres.
The Riverside Airport is the no. 1 ranked airport in California with a Federal Contract Tower with approximately 130,000 aircraft operations in 2023 and a record 144,000 aircraft operations in 2024. When comparing all 526 airports in the US, the Riverside Airport is ranked no. 116 busiest airport. The Airport is home o 200+ based aircraft and five flight schools with nearly 400 total students actively engaged in flight school.
Drainage Issue Identified
Over time, the drainage from the north side of the airport has created significant erosion within the Runway Safety Area (RSA) of the main runway 9-27 at Riverside Municipal Airport. This erosion has caused surface anomalies that must be corrected to ensure the RSA serves the required purpose of providing a smooth surface with adequate load bearing capability to accommodate an aircraft excursion from the runway without causing aircraft damage.
Funding
The Airport Team has actively pursued external funds to address a wide array of Riverside Airport needs. Competing for external funds, like grants, reduces the overall cost of a project and frees up funding to invest in other Airport projects. A few examples of projects that benefited from external funding include:
Airfield Emergency Generator and Wind Sock Replacement project. A new emergency generator was installed to provide electrical power to the entire airfield in the case of primary power loss. A windsock was relocated outside the runway safety area. Funded with $350,000 FAA grant.
Taxiway A project. Rehabilitate taxiway “A” full-length, consisting of application of asphalt slurry seal, new markings, and some new signage. Funded with a $791,604 FAA grant and $39,580 CalTrans matching grant.
Terminal lighting modernization to high efficiency LED funded by RPU rebate.
New water wise garden in front of terminal to be provided by RPU water rebate funding in the coming months.
Due to the cost of the design phase for the Erosion Control project, an application for federal funds was submitted to the Los Angeles Airport District office in January 2025. Notification of the FAA grant award was received August 28, 2025.
Airport Commission Review
The Airport Commission concurs that the surface anomalies due to erosion should be corrected and approved the grant application and recommends acceptance of the grant award.
DISCUSSION
A 300 ft wide Runway Safety Area (RSA) is required by the FAA for Airplane Design Group (ADG) B-II airports, such as Riverside Municipal. The RSA is a defined, graded surface surrounding a runway designed to provide a safe place for an aircraft to stop in the event of a runway excursion, such as an overshoot, undershoot, or veer-off. The RSA is cleared of objects, graded, and drained to support occasional aircraft passage and rescue equipment, enhancing safety for aircraft and occupants by reducing damage during such incidents. Currently, the RSA for Runway 9-27 does not fully meet these requirements.
As such, the Airport included a project to re-grade and correct drainage issues as submitted in the Airport Capital Improvement Plan (ACIP) that is submitted annually to the FAA. The first phase is design for the project, planned for 1st and 2nd quarter 2026. The grant would cover the first phase of the Erosion Control project. The second phase is construction, planned for 2027, not yet funded.
FISCAL IMPACT
The fiscal impact is an increase in revenues and expenditures in the amount of $283,366. Upon Council Approval, an increase in revenue will be recorded in the amount of $283,366 and an equal amount of expenditures appropriated in the Airport Fund grant account. The grant award has a 5% matching requirement in the amount of $14,170. Upon receipt of the award, a budget adjustment will be recorded in the amount of $14,170 from the Airport Fund, Airport Administration, Professional Services account 1165000-421001 to the Erosion Control project, (City Match) expenditure account, as determined by the Finance Department, to satisfy the City match. .
Prepared by: Daniel Prather, Airport Director
Approved by: Julie Nemes, Deputy Finance Officer
Certified as to
availability of funds: Kristie Thomas, Finance Director/Assistant Chief Financial Officer Approved by: Edward Enriquez, Assistant City Manager/Chief Financial Officer City Treasurer
Approved as to form: Rebecca McKee-Reimbold, Interim City Attorney Attachments:
Grant Award
Resolution
FAA Runway 9/27 Erosing Project · Page 4