KINGMAN – Mayor Ken Watkins, Vice Mayor Cherish Sammeli, City Manager Tim Walsh, and Assistant City Manager Tina Moline recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with members of Congress and federal agency officials to advocate for key City of Kingman priorities. Discussions focused on advancing the proposed release of land at the Kingman Airport to support future industrial development, as well as securing federal funding for critical capital improvement projects such as water and sewer infrastructure improvements.
During the visit, the city delegation met with the offices of U.S. Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego, and U.S. Representatives Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs, and Greg Stanton. A central focus of the trip was the City’s request for the release of land at the Kingman Airport. While the City owns the land, it comes with federal deed restrictions that limit its use to airport-related purposes. In order to use the land for industrial or commercial development, the City must receive approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to release those restrictions. This step is essential to making the land available for future development that could support job creation and long-term economic growth in the region. To further these discussions, the delegation met directly with FAA Deputy Associate Administrator for Airports Jess Sypniewski to review the land release request and next steps in the process.
Discussions also included congressionally directed spending requests for specific Kingman projects, including upgrades to water service lines throughout the City. This process allows members of Congress to request federal funding in the budget for clearly defined local projects that address community needs.
City Manager Tim Walsh described the visit as a valuable opportunity to continue moving key priorities forward. “These conversations are important in making sure Kingman’s needs are clearly understood at the federal level,” said Walsh. “From the airport land release to infrastructure funding, we are focused on positioning our community for responsible growth and future opportunity.”
Featured Photo Caption (L–R): Mayor Ken Watkins, US Senator Mark Kelly and Vice Mayor Cherish Sammeli.
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