The Peachtree City Airport

Authority started the year with lots of good news, including Aircraft

Spruce and Specialty Company's relocation from Griffin to Falcon

Field and the opening of the Dixie Wing Commemorative Air Force Museum

nearby in April. Things changed soon thereafter.

In June, the Airport Authority

had airport manager Jim Savage sign an agreement to retire by the end

of 2003. The retirement package would pay him a total of $40,000 over

four years and while Savage signed it, it was clear neither he nor a minority

of the authority agreed with the decision. The decision was made because

the authority was seeking a manager that would be more involved in marketing,

business development and public outreach. At the special called meeting

when this was announced, pilots based at the airport and authority members

Doug Fisher and Jerry Cobb spoke out against the decision.

In October, the authority approved

a list of capital improvement projects for the next 10 years. Among the

projects in 2004 were the repaving of Stallings Road and the repair of

the roof in the terminal. The project will cost $350,000 and the authority

is seeking a $350,000 loan from Peachtree National Bank and revenue from

the hotel/motel tax to help pay back the loan.

This appeared to be no problem

until recently when the hotel/motel tax revenue and how it is given to

the development authority and the airport authority came into question.

The airport authority is contracted to receive a percentage of the hotel/motel

tax until September 2004. If they do not receive the money until the appropriate

vehicle is established, the money will go into an escrow account until

then.

The airport authority accepted

an intergovernmental agreement at their last meeting of 2003 and will

go for the loan to pay for these projects. However, as of the final meeting,

a successor to Savage had yet to be named. Citizens can expect a new airport

manager to be named in early 2004 and work to begin on their capital improvement

projects.

The Peachtree City Airport

Authority meets the second Wednesday of every month at 7 p.m. at Falcon

Field.