Minnesota lawmakers hear pitch for state match to replace 70-year-old Duluth air traffic tower

House File 198 was presented to the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee on Feb. 17, 2025, seeking a $14 million state appropriation to match federal funds and replace the 70-year-old air traffic control tower at Duluth International Airport.

Supporters told the committee the existing tower is the third-oldest in the nation and no longer meets modern safety or line-of-sight standards. Representative Zalesnikar introduced the bill for informational purposes and urged timely action so Duluth can leverage federal funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act before the current window closes.

Mark Papko, director of operations for the Duluth Airport Authority, told the committee the airport has already secured $16,000,000 in federal funding and that a $14,000,000 state match would allow the project to proceed. "We are asking for $14,000,000. We already have $16,000,000 of federal funding secured, and in hand ready to get put to work," Papko said. He said the new tower would be taller and built to current safety standards, noting the existing tower is about 42 feet tall and the planned replacement would be about 53 feet tall.

Dante Tomassoni, director of corporate affairs at Cirrus Aircraft, said the company depends on Duluth operations for manufacturing, testing and flight training. "The tower controls everything a pilot needs to do to remain safe. It controls the air traffic so there are no mid air collisions," Tomassoni said. He described Cirrus's local operations and said the manufacturer supports the replacement to protect jobs and safety.

Committee members asked about the source and stability of the federal funding. Papko said the federal share is expected from the airport terminal program within the bipartisan infrastructure law and that Duluth applied for the full federal amount; he said the federal funding is discretionary but that the airport expects the fifth-year allocation to be announced in the fall. He also said the airport has the required state-matching funds identified and that, without the state match, some federal funds could not be put to work.

The committee did not vote on House File 198; members laid the bill over for further consideration and to allow authors and testifiers to return to other committee obligations.