WASHINGTON -- U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy yesterday announced that Pennsylvania's congressional delegation had obtained $4 million to build a new commissary for active, reserve and retired military personnel near Pittsburgh International Airport.

The money still needs to survive the appropriations process in both the House and the Senate, but Mr. Murphy, R-Upper St. Clair, said he was confident it would remain in the defense spending bill.

"We have bipartisan support for this, and it's clearly relevant to our soldiers," he said. "It's exciting. This is the farthest we've been so far."

The current commissary is at the Charles E. Kelly Support Facility in Collier, which faces closure next year as part of the recommendations of the Pentagon's Base Realignment and Closure Commission. As many as 160,000 former and current military personnel in Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia are eligible to use the facility to purchase goods at 5 percent above wholesale.

Allegheny County has agreed to hand over land near the airport, at the intersection of Business Route 60 and University Boulevard, to the military for a new commissary, according to Dennis Davin, the county's economic development director.

But the $4 million federal earmark won't be enough to cover the total price tag, which could be as much as $10 million to $20 million.

Mr. Murphy said he plans to meet with the Army's deputy chief of staff next week to discuss how to move forward. He also said he has talked to aides of Gov. Ed Rendell about securing state money for the project.

Mr. Davin said the county likely would contribute money, noting that it was a high priority for Chief Executive Dan Onorato.

When the Collier facility closes, the county's redevelopment authority will take control of the land. Mr. Davin said the county will keep the buildings in place in case an agreement can be reached with the military about reopening the commissary while a new one is under construction.

"Everyone is focused on keeping it open as long as possible," he said. "We're trying to take care of every single possibility."

The facility has some strong political backers, including Rep. John Murtha, D-Johnstown, who chairs the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., who sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

"This is a pleasant surprise," said retired Air Force Col. Jerry Kintigh, who leads the Western Pennsylvania Coalition for Job Retention and Military Presence and shops at the commissary weekly. "But there's going to have to be a lot more money. How that is provided is a question."

Other commissaries are far from the Collier base: 220 miles west at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and 150 miles east in Carlisle, Pa.