Unalaska makes its failing airport terminal a top funding priority

Unalaska has made a failing airport terminal its top request for state money next year, moving it from the bottom of the list to the top.

The city council named $500,000 for planning and engineering on the Tom Madsen Airport Terminal as its highest capital priority for the coming year. The building "has been assessed as failing and requires immediate planning and engineering work to ensure continued safe operations and passenger access," the council's resolution says.

Behind it, the city is asking the state for $6 million to protect its shoreline from erosion, $5 million to pave Captains Bay Road, and $5 million to replace two aging floats at the small boat harbor.

That order is a change from last year, when the harbor floats topped the list and the terminal ranked last. The city says it is prepared to put up matching funds where it helps its case.

The council also set its federal priorities and backed a local health center's request for state money to strengthen emergency and after-hours care, including $700,000 for mammography equipment. That endorsement doesn't mean the request has been funded.