MILLEDGEVILLE, Ga. — Plans to expand parts of the Baldwin County Regional Airport are taking off.
They've received $2 million in state funds and say they're putting it to good use.
13WMAZ’s Jessica Cha explains what they'll be doing with the money and why.
20 flights a day, 13,000 flights a year, and an average of 30 visitors come through the Baldwin County Regional Airport every day. They say they may be small, but they do get busy, whether it's for business or pleasure.
"The Baldwin County Regional Airport serves business organizations, both of the colleges – Georgia Military College and Georgia College & State University – and various law enforcement officials,” says airport manager Bruce Hood.
They fuel up all types of emergency service aircraft, teach folks how to fly, and host events.
"We are busy at all hours of the day and night here,” he says.
Hood says the Georgia Department of Transportation granted them $2 million. They're using it to solve a growing problem.
"We have limited space for aircrafts to park,” says Hood.
He says the airport is almost 6,000 feet long, 100 feet wide, and can accommodate aircraft up to 90,000 pounds. However, he says they have space to park only 20 aircraft.
Corporate pilot Tom Wiseman says the terminal may be empty now, but it's usually filled over-capacity.
“A surprising amount of people fly in from other states because they have lake properties here. We get the national forestry come in, they take up quite a bit of space. We do a lot of stuff with GMC and have the military helicopters come in,” Wiseman explains.
He says they try their best to fit the aircraft into spaces as best as they can, but it can become a potentially expensive problem.
There's been times where air evac has come in, Black Hawks come in, and J-aircraft at the same time, so it can get pretty hectic," he explains. “Helicopter rotor blades and jet aircraft that cost upwards of $70 million, you can have a lot of mishaps.”
Hood says they'll expand the terminal ramp to accommodate 55 aircraft, and the parking lot that holds 21 cars, they’ll expand that too. He says it’ll expand their business overall.
"We accommodate anybody from the governor down to the mom and pop that's coming to see their child at this college,” Hood says. “It shows growth, and if you show growth at the airport, then that growth is going to expand throughout the town and throughout the community.”
Council Mitchell co-owns Oconee Concrete in town.
"I've been using the airport for 35 years,” he says.
Mitchell says the airport is essential for businesses like his to be productive.
"For example, if I have a utility crew that's maybe in south Georgia, and they have a machine go down and need a part. I can pick up the part, maybe in Savannah or Atlanta, and get it to them that day,” he explains. “Every hour that you’re not producing, you can’t measure what that costs.”
Mitchell says the airport is convenient for folks like him, and makes it convenient for others to visit, too.
“It’s part of economic development. People coming in to look at the community and thinking about operating a business here. That’s how they come, by air. So, to have a good airport like we have is very important,” Mitchell says.
Hood says the designs for the terminal ramp expansion will be finished by midsummer, and construction may begin later this year.