The Schuylkill County Joe Zerbey Airport and the Jake Arner Memorial Airport in Lehighton are among 62 statewide airports that will receive some of the $70 million in federal grant funding from the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act.

President Joe Biden signed the legislation last month.

“Our commonwealth’s airports connect us to each other and the rest of the world. These investments will help stimulate local economies and create jobs across Pennsylvania,” U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. said.

The Joe Zerbey Airport is located in Foster Township and off Route 901 near the High Ridge Business Park. The Jake Arner Memorial Airport is at 2321 Mahoning Drive East.

Both will receive $159,000. The Federal Aviation Administration will establish guidelines for the money.

Bill Willard, manager of the Joe Zerbey Airport, said Friday it was “quite a Christmas gift.”

“It’s fantastic. There are plenty of things we have to get done,” he said.

The 1,600-acre airport has about 30 hangars and two runways, one at 2,775 feet and the other at 5,101 feet.

“It’s a handful just to keep the lights on every day,” Willard said.

Willard said he does not know if the money can be used to pay for a 2013 loan the airport authority has with the county for a hangar.

“I wouldn’t be too hopeful about that. They would probably limit it to projects,” he said.

Schuylkill County Commissioners’ Chairman Barron “Boots” Hetherington said the award is appreciated.

“I’m a big fan of the airport,” he said.

Paul Smith, manager of the Jake Arner Memorial Airport, said the money will be put to good use. Lighting upgrades and more hangar space are needed. The 140-acre airport has a 3,000-foot runway and about 40 aircraft that are stored there.

“We have a waiting list for hangars,” Smith said.

He said the taxi lighting to the runway is aging. It was installed in the 1970s along with the rotating beam.

“It sounds like small stuff, but it’s very expensive,” Smith said.

Other airports around the region that received money from the act include Harrisburg International Airport, $4,370,263; and Lehigh Valley International Airport, $3,556,614.