Regional airport purchases nearby home
The deed for a home on the east side of the Pittsburgh-Butler Regional Airport arrived Monday, according to the airport's manager.
Ike Kelly, the manager, said that he is is pleased. Using federal, state and its own money, the airport authority purchased the property for $184,000 from Roger and Karen Marshall.
The buy is not a sign of an impending expansion from the airport at the site where a residence once stood. Rather, it's part of an ongoing Federal Aviation Administration push to help airports buy their surrounding lands, preventing would-be disasters — such as a nearby homeowner building a radio tower in the backyard. The specific bit of FAA code being used is known as Part 77.
Of the $184,000, 5 percent is the airport authority's responsibility, 5 percent would be paid for by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and 90 percent would be covered by the FAA, Kelly said.
The price came from an appraisal process they're required to use, he said.
He said the land can't be used for the airport's planned runway extension.
This is an excerpt — read more about the purchase in Tuesday's Butler Eagle.