(File Photo) Aerial performer Chris Thomas files over the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport during the first Kids STEM Day in June 2024. Thomas told spectators he has a button in his plane to release steam during the show.

WILLIAMSTOWN — Recent orders to pause federal funding do not appear to be having any immediate impact on operations at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport, its manager said Wednesday.

The administration of President Donald Trump had ordered pauses in federal funding allocations, but those do not seem to be affecting the airport. By Wednesday afternoon, the administration had rescinded its call for a freeze on federal assistance funds.

Airport Manager Ben Auville said they have not seen any immediate cuts. The only concern was allocations they get from the federal Department of Transportation in regards to maintaining essential air service at the airport. The airport pays the airline for service out of its own funds and the DOT reimburses the airport. Auville said they received that payment on Wednesday.

“We are still getting our essential air service checks,” he said. “We haven’t really seen anything change, yet.”

The airport received a payment of $174,000 which Auville said was based on a number of factors and the payment is different every month.

Projects such as work in the parking lot and restrooms within the terminal are still continuing because the money for those was set aside a few years ago and is being spent out over time.

“That funding is secured and is moving forward just fine,” Auville said, adding the projects have been planned out for years with Congress authorizing the money in three- to five-year cycles and would not be immediately impacted by the initial announced spending freeze.

The biggest impact they have seen over the last year was the stopping of reimbursements from the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) when they stopped paying last April to have law enforcement officers on hand for the boarding of planes. Airport officials went before the Wood County Commission to explain what happened and the county agreed to pick up that expense.

The only immediate change the airport has seen this week was to a Federal Aviation Administration Title 6 change relating to signage for people where English is not the primary language as well as certain aspects of hiring people for whom English is not their primary language which a plan was expected to be in place by April 1.

That program was cancelled Wednesday, Auville said adding it would have impacted larger airports where they have a more diverse workforce compared to locally.

Many people at the Mid-Ohio Regional Airport have multiple jobs. Many of the maintenance people are also part of the airport’s fire and rescue crew who had to be mobilized Tuesday during an emergency landing situation.

The airport is continuing to apply for different grants and working to renew grants it has been getting for airport improvements and more.

“All of our funding stuff is still secure,” Auville said.

He does hope that with a new administration the money from TSA to cover having a law enforcement officer on hand during boardings will be reinstated, but Auville said he hasn’t heard anything on that yet. The funding wasn’t eliminated, it was moved elsewhere.

“It is hard to say if they will change it back or not,” he said.