Commissioners vote to accept GDOT funding for wildlife fencing at Silver Comet Field

During their final regular October meeting Paulding commissioners voted in favor of accepting Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) funding in the amount of $300,000 aimed at constructing a [wildlife] fence on the airport site.
At their regular October meeting Paulding County Airport Authority (PCAA) had already voted to accept a GDOT grant, pending approval from the county to resubmit an application for the state funding.
Interim Airport Director Terry Tibbitts reassured commissioners that matching funds needed would not come from the county and additionally the fencing designated is approved for wildlife only, and not appropriate to any requirements related to obtaining the Part 139 Permit that would allow the airport to begin offering limited commercial service. On the current board, only Chairman Austin remains in support of that initiative.
But despite many compliments of Tibbitts during the BoC’s meeting from post commissioners regarding his efforts at Silver Comet Field and reassurances that they were in support of an aviation airport, much discussion ensued between commissioners over whether or not to table any action on the request until their November meeting. The board is scheduled to meet only once a month through the end of the year.Called back up to speak, a visibly annoyed Tibbitts told commissioners that “...if you risk losing this [grant] by tabling it for another two weeks than it’s my opinion that the state would do what we originally asked them to do and apply the money somewhere else,” he said, and added, “...I would say that if I can’t get your support on something as obvious and as no-brainer as this would be, you don’t need a director, you need a caretaker; someone to sit there and make sure no one totes the airport off in the dark…there’s nothing to direct, there are no projects, there’s no construction, there are no grants that we could apply for…” Tibbitts told the board.
After the twenty minutes of debate Paulding commissioners voted 4-1 to approve the request with Post 4 Commissioner Tony Crowe voting in opposition. Crowe said he was undecided and added that he felt rushed to make a decision and that he would prefer to table the item, but withdrew his second to the motion to table.
The funding, according to Interim Airport Director Terry Tibbitts, comes as a grant through a ‘special exemption’ in order to add fencing primarily for the purpose of restricting deer and coyote from runway areas, which Tibbitts said, has moved up the list of priorities for the airport management and the FAA, and is “the number one safety issue at the airport.”
“We had previously returned this money to the state because this was involved in our Environmental Assessment, but the FAA and the state wants so badly to get this wildlife fencing built around the property that that have agreed to do what’s called ‘a Category Exemption’...so the state has reinstated the $300,0000,” Tibbitts said. The funding comes as a 75/25 match that requires a 25 percent match, amounting to $100,000, Tibbitts said.
However, Tibbitts proposed that the $100,000 would not need to come out of the county’s budget, but instead could be made-up from Airport Authority funds coming in this year that were reimbursed out of a previous “Block 150” grant from the FAA for projects competed last year at Silver Comet Field.
Tibbitts said that though he had not yet updated a quote for construction estimates he was confident that the funding would still cover the project, though additional—but very limited-- funds could be sought through the PCAA, if necessary.
Tibbitts had served since May as the airport’s liaison to the FAA, which regulates and provided much of the funding to build Silver Comet Field in 2007. Paulding County Airport Authority then hired Tibbitts to a three-month contract, later extended through January, as interim director to take over from former director Blake Swafford, who left in May. The move to extend Tibbitts contract was done because the PCAA currently lack the revenue to hire a full-time director, according to Airport Chairman Calvin Thompson.
Currently the airport makes revenue from aircraft owners along with tenants like McNeel Builders Inc. and Silver Comet Maintenance. Tibbitts reported during the October PCAA meeting that Silver Comet Field is up to 18 tenants and three of ten spaces rented in the larger hangar. Silver Comet Field has a goal and the capacity to serve up to 100 based aircraft.

(Photo: R. Grant)