Airport set to be refurbished

The Coweta County Commission has approved the execution of a grant that will lead to the addition of a partial taxiway and other improvements at the Newnan-Coweta County Airport.

The project that will construct a three-quarter-length east side taxiway (Taxiway C), replace an old beacon that is no longer operational and increase the grade of Runway Safety Area 14 is included in a $4.65 million project by the Georgia Department of Transportation’s Aviation Division.

The grant comes by way of the Federal Aviation Administration, with federal grant dollars totaling $4.186 million and a state grant totaling $224,207. Coweta County’s portion of the project totals $240,917.

The county’s $190,000 contribution to the project was previously included in the Newnan-Coweta County Airport Authority’s budget, though the bids for the project were higher than expected.

“On the east side of the airport, we currently have one connector taxiway for over 50 aircraft to access the runway. The new construction would provide much-needed additional ingress and egress,” said Airport Manager Calvin Walker noted in a May 14 letter.

Pertaining to the current beacon, it is at least 30 years old and is inoperable and replacement parts are no longer available, Walker said.

“The beacon is an integral part of night operations because it is a visual reference for inbound traffic,” said Walker.