Bellefonte Airport officials addressed the Centre County Airport Authority (CCAA) Thursday about concerns over a grant received by the University Park Airport in February.

John Elnitski Jr., who is representing Bellefonte Airport on the matter, said the airport feels University Park Airport gained an unfair advantage to rebuild hangars at a subsidized rate.

The grant amounts to $720,000 from the state capital budget. It will be used to demolish old hangars and build 50 T-hangars, which Elnitski said are the type Bellefonte Airport uses.

He said that because only municipalities or municipal authorities can receive the state funding, Penn State unethically manipulated CCAA, applying for the grant itself and using CCAA as a vehicle.

"We feel the university has been using the Authority to do anything they want and not doing impact studies on the community," Elnitski said.

However, CCAA Manager Charles Welch said the Authority knowingly sponsored the grant application because there was a need. The airport had a list of tenants looking for hangar space, Welch said.

These clients specifically wanted space at University Park Airport, not Bellefonte Airport, said Bob Finley, assistant vice president for finance and business at Penn State. Finley also is a CCAA board member.

The grant was not unfair toward Bellefonte Airport because it is not eligible for the same funding options, Finley said.

"They have the ability to go forward and apply for state funds like we did, but from a slightly different spot," Finley said. Because University Park Airport is partially run by a municipal authority, it has different funding sources than Bellefonte, he added.

There were some questions from Elnitski about whether CCAA even had the Authority to submit the application because the authority's 50-year charter previously expired.

Welch said the Authority wrote a letter to the Bureau of Aviation, which reviews the grant applications, explaining the situation. The bureau still awarded the grant.

"We were certainly able to get the attention of the Bureau of Aviation," Welch said.

The authority is now reorganizing, pending approval from the boroughs of State College and Bellefonte.

Elnitski also said CCAA had a "master plan" that stated no actions should be made by one airport that would adversely affect either airport.

Finley said this plan is being drafted, and Welch said the reference to adverse effects was in context to something other than grants for hangars. Finley added that hangar development is part of the master plan.

Building the hangars could actually enhance overall aviation in the area instead of adversely affecting Bellefonte Airport, University Park Airport Manager Bob Dannaker said.

"If someone wants space and we have no openings, we'll send them to Bellefonte," Dannaker said.

The CCAA board took Elnitski's complaints under advisement and will discuss the matter at the next meeting, Welch said.