Wondering how tiny SMX (Santa Maria, CA) could get national attention in USA Today? Read on... June 29, 2002 SM airport gets federal funds to help service Grant, only one awarded in state, will be used to lure new passenger airline By Janene Scully / Times Staff Writer SANTA MARIA - The Santa Maria Public Airport is the only one in the state to win a federal grant to improve passenger air service as the district gets set for a new approach to lure a second airline. General Manager Gary Rice said the district will receive $213,530 to try to get a second airline here. Currently, the airport is served by SkyWest Airlines, which operates locally as United Express. "Santa Maria seeks the funds to contribute to a travel bank to support new service," said Rice. A travel bank works like this: Businesses put money into an account and when a company purchases a ticket, the money is subtracted from the firm's share of the fund. "The whole philosophy behind this is an airline likes to see the whole commitment of a community putting money where its mouths is," said Rice. The grant award is "pretty timely," according to Rice, who said he recently received a proposal from a firm seeking to help the district set up a travel bank. The board will discuss the approach at its July 11 meeting. It's the newest plan for the district that has struggled for the past decade to improve passenger air service. Despite spending thousands of dollars hiring consultants, visiting airlines, advertising and backing a home-grown airline, Santa Maria has just six flights a day going to Los Angeles. "What we've been doing hasn't worked," said Rice. "What communities have been successful in improving air service have gotten their communities behind the effort and created a travel bank." Only 40 communities won grants under the Small Community Air Services Development Pilot Program. The U.S. Department of Transportation received 179 applications seeking $142.5 million. Grant award ranged from $85,000 to $1.4 million with up to $20 million handed out. "The goal of these grants is to help smaller communities develop and improve their access to the national air transportation system," U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said. "We will monitor these programs and use the results to better assist other communities in the future." Rice praised Veroneka Reade, the district's manager of finance and administration, for her grant-writing endeavors. "Veroneka laid out a very successful program," said Rice. "I'm sure it was well received because it was well thought out." * Staff writer Janene Scully can be reached at (805) 739-2214 or by e-mail at janscully@pulitzer.net.