The Delta County Board listened Tuesday as Commissioner Kelli van Ginhoven read the Delta County Opioid Taskforce's recommendations for grants from opioid settlement funds. (Sophie Vogelmann | Daily Press)

ESCANABA – The Delta County Board took several actions Tuesday evening regarding the Delta County Opioid Taskforce.

The Delta County Opioid Taskforce met last week to discuss four applications submitted this spring for grants from the county’s share of opioid settlement funds.

The task force voted to award all four applicants grants, which they brought to the county board for final approval.

The grants are: $30,000 to the 94th District Court, $30,000 to Escanaba Area Public Schools, $29,975 to Great Lakes Recovery Center and up to $8,847 to the Escanaba Student Success Center. The task force asked that the Success Center determine a final dollar amount, as the center requested up to $8,847 in its application.

The board also chose Whitney Maloney to fill a vacancy on the taskforce. Maloney is on the Delta Regional Child Advocacy Center’s board of directors at the Escanaba location. Commissioners cited her role on that board as an advantage to her application.

In other business, the board:

– Discussed the full-scale exercise set for 1 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 25, at the Delta County Airport. The exercise will simulate an emergency at the airport, with EMS, law enforcement, the Delta County Rescue Taskforce and local fire departments participating.

– Approve the Federal Aviation Administration Airport Improvement Program grant agreement with Delta County Airport. The $744,738 grant will be spent on new snow removal equipment and to rehabilitate runway markings beginning in spring/summer of 2026. Airport Administrator Ashleigh Young spoke to the board before they accepted the FAA offer.

– Also approved the Federal Aviation Administration Airport Infrastructure grant agreement with Delta County Airport. The $2,604,007 grant will allow for reconstruction of various runway visual guidance systems, with work to begin this fall.

– Authorized spending a total of $425,000 in upfront costs for multiple projects at the airport under the Airport Capital Improvement Program, including expanding the snow removal equipment building, replacing expired aircraft rescue and firefighting suits, and more. A terminal study was also proposed, which would cost $125,000. The FAA would determine eligibility of reimbursement for the terminal study after it is completed. Upon completion of the projects, the FAA will reimburse 97.5% of $300,000 to the airport and subsequently the county. The remaining $125,000 regarding the terminal study may or may not be reimbursed, contingent on FAA eligibility approval.