Airport authority moves forward on runway widening
Jackson County Airport officials last night voted to move forward with a project that will widen the runway and replace runway lighting. In addition, they voted to approve settlement agreements with R.L. Ammons and Dewayne Pruett that will pay Ammons $10,000 and Pruett $5,000.
The runway project will be paid for with grant funds from the N.C. Department of Transportation Division of Aviation grant money, and the lawsuit settlements will also be paid from those funds.
The vote to proceed with the runway project was 3-1, with Brian McMahan, Tom Massie and Jason Kimenker voting in favor, whild Joe Cowan cast the lone “no” vote. Member Mark Jones was absent. The vote on both lawsuit settlements was also 3-1, but in those cases it was Kimenker who cast the “no” vote.
Authority members approved the settlements contingent on removing all references to “Jackson County,” which they said should be stricken because the county had been dismissed from the suit and the settlements should be between the plaintiffs (Ammons and Pruett) and the airport authority.
Four county commissioners – McMahan, Massie, Cowan and Jones – now also sit on the airport authority.
In other business, authority members approved a lease transfer from Ray Ambrose to Bill Austin with another 3-1 vote, again with Cowan dissenting.
In addition, Massie expressed concern about the airport’s potential budget shortfall.
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