LANETT – The construction phase of a new 5,400-foot runway at Lanett Airport is nearing completion.

The paving of the runway and the nearby taxiway has been completed. All that’s left is the grooving of the track, the layout and the installation of the lights, which could be completed in January.

The new runway could eventually start landing planes around February 1.

Ryan Pearce, a civil engineer who has been working on the project for several years now, said Lanett has a really nice runway around which you can build an airport.

Building an airport around a runway involves having the kind of facilities that go with a regional airport. A major milestone that includes a first-class terminal. Last year, a million-dollar facility opened with offices for the Chambers County Development Authority (CCDA), a large conference room, a pilot’s lounge chair and a flight planning room.

The city is now looking to hire its first full-time airport manager. These tasks were previously performed on a part-time basis by a city employee whose job description included work in other departments. The new manager will be a full-time professional who will handle these aviation fuel inspection details on a daily basis, ensure the runway is free of debris, and negotiate leases for the hangar space.

Another major step that has been taken is the preparation of a nine acre site just outside the terminal for hangar space. A hill on this site has been leveled to ground level. The dirt that was removed was required in the construction of a 1,000-foot runway extension and 2,500-foot taxiway. The project also involved bringing approximately 80,000 trucks of sand from a quarry to LaGrange.

Building the 1,000 foot extension was no easy task. Much of the land was a swampy area where Osanippa and Little Osanippa streams merge. Culverts had to be built under the runway area to handle some of the water flows, and a diversion channel was built around the southwest side of the new runway to handle more of the flow. of water.

Utilities Superintendent Tony Chandler said what exists now is very different from what was at the old airport when it closed for construction in late 2017.

“Every day it gets harder and harder to remember what it was like on the old 3,165 foot runway,” he said. “The old trail was really cracked and there were woods nearby.”

Jody Lowery has served as the City’s Acting Airport Manager and has had numerous conversations with people interested in leasing hangar space at the airport. He said that between 15 and 20 people have shown interest.

In most cases, the city rents the space to an individual or a company who builds and maintains the hangar. Under Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules, the lease is for 30 years. At the end of the lease, the city owns everything on the site.

“Some hangars will be built for a single plane, and some will house more than one plane,” Lowery said. “An 80-foot-wide and 80-foot-long hangar can accommodate two planes. “

The FAA offers incentives to airports that have planes based there.

“If you have at least 10 planes there, they’ll give you $ 150,000 a year.”

The hangar space at the old airport is still there and usable.

“There were 13 planes and a helicopter there when we closed the airport,” Lowery said.

It’s fair to say that if you have a new trail that is over a mile long people will come if you have a shed.

It could take a $ 2 million investment from the city to speed up the process. That would raise the hangars. The income from the leases would easily cover the repayment of a loan.

It is also necessary to have a jet fuel truck. In order for jets to land at an airport, they usually need to be refueled before taking off again. Some business class jets can hold between 1,500 and 3,000 gallons.

The city is expected to derive significant revenue from the rental of hangar space and the sale of aviation fuel.

An environmental impact study is underway for a new road that could be built towards the airport. It would provide better access to exit 77 on I-85.

A three-member board committee was tasked with developing a job description for the new airport manager. They will make a recommendation to the entire board.