A plan to develop a single-engine air tanker (SEAT) base at Smithville’s municipal airport to help battle blazes during wildfire emergencies is on hold after the Federal Emergency Management Agency denied the city a $440,000 fire management assistance grant, which would have funded most of the project.

The agency found that the goal of the SEAT base project is to shorten response time but does not meet the eligibility criteria set out in the grant’s guidelines:

• Be in conformance with the state or local mitigation plan.

• Solve a problem independently or constitute a functional portion of a solution when there is assurance the whole project will be completed.

• Be cost-effective and substantially reduce the risk of future damage, hardship, loss or suffering resulting from a major disaster.

"The application does not adequately demonstrate that the proposed activity will mitigate against wildfires," FEMA said in its denial letter. "While information presented in the application clearly demonstrates that the project will shorten response time, there is no documented mitigation action."

The city identified wildfires as the hazard, and the project is intended to increase response capability — but it doesn’t protect homes, neighborhoods and infrastructure, the federal agency said. It also found that the SEAT base does not demonstrate reduction of the risk of future damage, loss or suffering and does not contribute to a long-term solution to wildfires.

Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape said the county’s Office of Emergency Management will appeal FEMA’s decision.

Smithville’s airport development plan had been recently approved by the Aviation Division of the Texas Department of Transportation. After the plan was approved, the city was prequalified to receive the state aviation grant funding for the planned improvements.

With the recent fires in Bastrop County and Central Texas, local officials felt that the Smithville airport would be sensible location to house a SEAT base. The $331,000 federal grant with a $110,000 local match would have made it possible.

After the grant’s denial, officials said they’ll focus on minor improvements and maintenance at the airport, including fixing the runway, apron and ramp.

In 2014, Smithville was awarded a $100,000 TxDOT aviation grant to prepare a long-range development plan for its airport. KSA Engineering was the lead consultant that worked with the city and local pilots to create the plan, which includes several options on hangar location and aviation ground flow.

"Currently, the airport averages between 25-30 takeoffs and landings per day, with a projected 50-percent increase by 2020," Smithville City Manager Robert Tamble said. "More and more pilots are using our airport to shop, eat and explore Smithville."

Nine projects to upgrade the airport were identified from immediate to long-term. Adding and extending taxiways, aprons, city-owned hangars and fuel concession would improve the site’s function while increasing the revenue stream for the city to pay for needed maintenance and match other anticipated grant funds. Other projects included adding an automated weather observation system and possibly a café.

The city has planned to fund airport improvements through leveraging city funds with federal and state grants, Tamble said.

"Bottom line: Expansion at the airport will be put on hold for now until additional funding sources can be identified and secured," he said.

Projects eligible for funding under the fire management assistance grant include defensible space measures, ignition-resistant construction and hazardous fuels reduction.