By Staff
When Earl Lambert told the Brewton City Council that the airport board, which Lambert was representing at the meeting, had managed to secure all but $508 for a project that will cost more than $305,000, Councilman Mervin Huff said he thought that sounded fair.
Fair is one way to put it. Creative would be another.
With less than half the project funded, the board went back to the federal and state governments with a proposal. The city would agree to provide some matching funds if the government would provide more money for the much-needed paving project.
The government agreed, which resulted in the board having to secure just over $45,000 in local funds.
This is where the board's creativity and hard work paid off. A call was made to the United States Navy, which uses Brewton's Municipal Airport as a training site for aviators at Whiting Field. Would the Navy be interested in helping with the project, the board asked.
It was, and $45,000 was committed to the project. That left the board with only $508 as its share on the project.
Increasing government funding for any project in these lean times can be a challenge. Knowing that funds were available for specific uses at airports helped the board do just that though.
Many of us do not use the city's airport, but it is a vital asset to this community. It's runways are long enough to handle just about any plane that would ever want to land here, which makes it attractive to industries that may be looking at the area for relocation.
Our hats are off to the airport board for a job well done.