With major

industrial companies considering moves to Coweta County,

and with a runway expansion on the way, the County

Commission took the Airport Authority by the haorns

Tuesday.

Instead of

picking new members to replace resigning members, the

board decided to appoint itself as the Airport Authority.

County

administrator Theron Gay said he was not aware of the

board ever doing this in the past, but said commissioners

felt it necessary to do.

Two of the

authority members' terms expired and the board decided it

was time to make a change, Gay added.

"There's

just a lot of things happening," he said.

During much

of the last year, the authority did not have a quorum so

no business could be conducted. The county has already

upgraded the airport several times and is planning on a

major runway expansion.

Gay

anticipates the board will add the Airport Authority

meetings to its regular meetings unless there are too

many items to discuss. If that's the case, Gay said a

separate Airport Authority meeting would be called.

After the

meeting, commission chairman Vernon "Mutt"

Hunter said the board had no choice.

"The

airport's getting very busy and the county also owns

about 70 acres down there that may be developed

soon," he said.