News File Photo Passengers exit a flight into Alpena from Detroit in this January 2019 News archive photo.

ALPENA — Many people are beginning to see their federal stimulus checks deposited into their bank accounts, including the Alpena County Regional Airport.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday announced that the Alpena airport will get $17.9 million from the federal government to help buoy the airport and its staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus has brought air travel to a screeching halt and airports across the nation are struggling to stay afloat, though they are required to stay open because they are considered essential infrastructure.

The money is part of the $2.2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act recently passed by Congress that also includes $1,200 payments to most Americans.

Alpena Airport Manager Steve Smigelski said there’s no time limit in which his airport must use the money and it must be used exclusively for the airport. He said the county usually allocates about $500,000 a year from its general fund to cover airport expenses, and the federal money will soften that burden.

Smigelski said he was shocked by the dollar amount and reached out to state and federal regulators to verify the allocation.

“Well, after I picked my jaw up off the floor, I made three phone calls and they all confirmed it,” Smigelski said. “It was really like winning the lottery.”

Alpena received the fourth-highest amount in Michigan. Smigelski said that was based on a formula factoring in investment, projects, and traffic at airports for 2018.

In 2018, the Alpena airport had a solid year for enplanements and a new, $13 million terminal construction project had just begun. Smigelski said those factors likely helped a lot.

“Being busy out there, then, is really going to help us now,” he said.

U.S. Rep. Jack Bergman, R-Watersmeet, who represents Alpena, said smaller airports in his 1st Congressional District are vital for not only critical transportation but also economic development and growth. He said the money will help ensure they remain viable.

“Michigan’s 1st District relies on the hardworking small and medium-sized airports which connect our rural and remote district with the rest of the nation,” Bergman said “As constituents hunker down to defeat COVID-19, these facilities have seen considerably less traffic. The CARES Act, which Congress passed last month, provides funding through the (Federal Aviation Administration) to ensure airports serving our communities remain viable through this challenging time.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.