City provides municipal airport update during council meeting Monday

The Atmore City Council received an update on the goings on at the municipal airport during its regular meeting on July 22.

In December, SkyWarrior Flight Training Inc., of Pensacola, Fla., took over the management of the airport. Since then, more plane activity has been seen, planes are stopping to refuel and new hangars have been built on the property.

During its meeting, the city council adopted resolution 2024-15, appointing Chief Chuck Brooks and Council President Shawn Lassiter to the airport safety committee.

City Attorney Larry Wettermark said part of the city’s ordinance deals with a safety committee with two members appointed by the city.

“The safety committee looks at policies and procedures on what’s told to users of the airport, and to back up matters for users at the airport,” Wettermark said.

Wettermark said SkyWarrior has a contract with the U.S. Navy and Southwest Airlines to help attract additional pilots. He added that many pilots are doing touch and goes with Cessna 172s at the airport.

“The airspace around here isn’t as crowded as Pensacola and others,” he said. “This is ideal for students to get their hours and training in.”
Wettermark added that the airport is attractive to many because of the 5,000-foot runway.

“What we’d like to do is expand this airport, and expand the opportunity and bring other uses of the airport here,” he said. “One of the things is see we could induce SkyWarrior to bring more of their training programs here. One of our long-range plans is to put a taxiway in. At present, planes have to do a ‘180’ on the runway, and ties up the runway space.”

Wettermark added the taxiway is a building block, and they can be pretty expensive, however. He said a taxiway costs between $5-$6 million, and things are in motion to see about acquiring funding for the taxiway.

Wettermark said at present, the airport sells general aviation gasoline. He said if the airport could get Jet-A fuel, a whole different category of aircraft will be seen at the airport just off Highway 31.

Airport Director of Maintenance and Manager Don Flynn said Atmore has the lowest gas price in the area. He said the low gas price generates a lot of traffic. The airport sells the fuel, and a portion of the revenue goes back to the city.

Flynn said the airport finished construction of six new box hangars, and a renter at $400 per month occupies every hangar.

“Everything is going just wonderfully,” Flynn said. “A parallel taxiway would be a big benefit to the airport.”

In other business, the city:

• adopted resolution 2024-12, authorizing the city to award the contract for the (community development block grants) storm draining improvements to low bidder Mitchell’s Contracting Service Inc.;
• adopted resolution 2024-13, authorizing the city to award the contract for the Atmore RAA Street Resurfacing to low bidder Mitchell’s Contracting Service Inc.;
• adopted resolution 204-14, authorizing the city to enter into an agreement with United Talent Agency for a concert featuring Will Moseley at Boxcar Willie on Aug. 1, at 7 p.m. as part of the first Thursday evenings event;
• approved an ABC alcohol license application for Dollar General Store No. 30052 located at 11700 Highway 31;
• approved an ABC alcohol license application for Dollar General Store No. 25786 located at 907 W. Nashville Ave.;
• approved a request from Bradley Woods for a special event license for a radio-controlled car race on Alto Way on Aug. 24 at 9 a.m.;
• approved a request from Jeremy and Robin Smith to hold a rodeo at Rivercane on Oct. 11-12; and,
• approved a request from Lakisha Jackson to block off Union Street and King Street on Nov. 2, between noon and 5 p.m. for an annual appreciation day for her business, H&H Royal Hair Bar LLC.

The post City provides municipal airport update during council meeting Monday appeared first on The Atmore Advance .