The Coweta

County Commission decided Tuesday night to help bail the

county's airport authority out of red ink.

The

commission voted unanimously to look into restructuring a

loan from a five-year payoff to a 10-year payoff after

listening to a report from the airport authority's

chairman, Dr. Charles M. Barron.

Barron told

the board the airport authority is currently taking in

$96,000 a year in revenue, but expenses are almost

$116,000.

The biggest

expense in the authority's budget is a $48,000 a year

payment to the county on the five-year loan. If the loan

was restructured to 10 years, Barron felt confident the

authority would be able to balance its books.

Barron also

asked the county to take over the mowing operations at

the Newnan-Coweta Airport. Currently, the authority

contracts the business to a mowing service, which is

nearly an $8,000 a year expense.

The

authority chairman said there was no other way to squeeze

any more revenue out of the airport.

"All

our buildings are occupied and we've got a waiting list

with 43 people on it," he said.

Eventually,

the county is going to have to expand the facility to

accommodate the growing population, Barron said.

The biggest

plus at the airport this year has been the addition of

the new fuel farm, Barron added.

The fuel

farm gives the airport the capability of selling large

quantities of bonded fuel to airplanes that fly into the

airport.

Earlier

this year when a movie was being filmed in the county, a

huge Gulfstream jet flew into the airport. When it left,

airport workers were able to load it up with 2,000

gallons of fuel.

"It

doesn't cost us any more to sell 2,000 gallons than 15

gallons. It just takes a little more time," he said.

The

commissioners thanked Barron for his presentation and

said they would get back to the authority after

investigating new terms for the loan.

<!--

-----------