The Federal Aviation Administration has approved plans for a combined Airport Rescue and Firefighting building, which will also house snow removal equipment, at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport. But the airport is still short about $3 million in funding for the $11 million new structure.

The shortfall in funding is partly due to long delays in the project and a change in the funding rules at the FAA, commission vice-chairman Robert Rosenbaum told the airport commission at their meeting Thursday.

Airport commission is facing $3 million shortfall for long-planned rescue and firefighting building. — Steve Myrick

After scrapping previous plans for the building, which was years behind schedule, the commission recently turned to new architects and engineers to redesign the facility.

“The delay of the design of this building has cost us dearly,” Mr. Rosenbaum told the commissioners. “If this project had been done two years ago, the whole building would have been eligible.”

According to FAA funding formulas, the federal government will provide $7 million for the project. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation will fund five percent, or $560,000. That leaves a shortfall of about $3 million.

Mr. Rosenbaum said the commission and its attorneys are looking at ways to fund the airport’s share of the building.

About half of the airport’s share could be eligible for future FAA grants, but Mr. Rosenbaum said the airport would have to spend the money up front, and reimbursement might not come for two years or more.

All of the funding is subject to the actual costs of design and construction, as well as changes in state and federal budget spending.

Paring down costs is complicated because the building, with strict minimum specifications, is mandated by state and federal regulations covering operation of the airport.

In other business Thursday, the commission authorized spending up to $120,000 for painting and repairs to the terminal building.

Rod Dinger, who was named as interim airport manager last week, introduced himself to the commission. A recently retired municipal executive who worked for the city of Redding in Northern California, Mr. Dinger was hired after the resignation of former manager Sean Flynn in December, and the subsequent resignation of acting airport manager Deborah Potter last month.

Mr. Dinger advised the airport commission to consider a passenger fee to fund current and future capital projects. He said there are about 450 passenger airports in the country, and 357 of them charge a fee for every passenger who boards a flight.

Under current rules, he said the Martha’s Vineyard Airport could charge a passenger fee of $4.42 per passenger.