Robinson reported on progress being made on phase one of the effort, which includes grading the soil and drainage for the west half of the proposed runway area. He said the contractor, Boyd & Company, has finished bringing the soil up to grade, seeded the areas adjacent to the runway site so grass will grow and minimize soil erosion, and a final inspection was done Monday.

“We had a few issues, but they’re going to take care of them,” Robinson said. “The things we had are very fixable.”

Baer agreed, adding that a punch list has been developed to address some minor concerns that include lumps in the soil that should have been removed during the fine grading process and a slight depression where the soil has settled and will cause pooling of water following a rain.

Baer also said he has been in communication with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials responsible for providing funding for airport improvement projects and indicated those talks have gone well.

“They liked the idea of if we don’t get the funding to do everything this year to at least complete the grading on the east portion and then at least doing some sort of pavement. They liked the idea of doing half the runway this year. They want to get at least some of the runway down this year,” Baer said.

Board members Gene Clark and John Melton had several questions for Baer about various aspect of what has been done. Clark asked for weekly updates on any progress being made and Baer said he would provide board members with the requested information.

Baer also said early indications are the FAA is going to provide the project with more funding this year than had been anticipated.

“Originally, the programmed amount was just over $1 million for this next phase and I’ve already talked them into a few hundred thousand extra bucks. I’m going to keep talking to them and try to talk them into more,” Baer said, pointing out those figures were just what the FAA has discussed and is considering. “That’s not guaranteed, but it’s based on some of the preliminary numbers they’ve seen come in on other projects.”

It is the board’s hope the FAA will eventually approve a new runway that is 5,000 feet long by 75 feet wide, which could handle small jet and well as large propeller-powered aircraft. The current runway is only rated for small propeller-powered planes.

Elected officials and others have said in the past the larger runway is needed to help with economic development efforts including meeting the needs of some existing businesses as well as helping to attract new ventures to Henry County.

In other news, the board voted to adopt internal control policies favored by the FAA that provide protocol for how funds received from the federal agency are handled. Baer explained that by adopting the policies the ongoing project would be considered “low risk” by the FAA and make an audit less likely.

The board considered two bids submitted for sealing the joints in the existing runway. This matter was tabled.

Also, board member Corey Murphy said he needed a couple of other board members to join him in a meeting with representatives from Apex Clean Energy to discuss the possibility of placing wind turbines in southern Henry County that might potentially impact airport operations in the future.

“As long as they follow federal guidelines we won’t have any problems,” Clark said.

It was agreed Clark and John Marlatt would join Murphy in the planned meeting with Apex personnel.