Chamber of Commerce officials, county commissioners, and Blountstown City Council members joined local aviation leaders last Wednesday for a groundbreaking ceremony to commence runway paving at the Calhoun County Airport.
Maxie Waldorff, who chairs the Industrial Development Authority and Airport Committee, says the paving has been a long time coming.
“We’ve been delayed for nearly two years on this project because of wetland permits,” Waldorff remarks. “But we got it. Our contractor was real patient and stayed with us, keeping the price they originally quoted us.”
M Contracting of Tallahassee won the bid on the paving project that will upgrade the 3,100-foot runway.
The airport currently operates a turf runway which is utilized mostly by light twin- and single-engine planes. The new paved runway will offer a new option to local pilots with much larger aircraft.
In addition, the next phase of the airport’s improvements will be the construction of 24 new T-hangars. Bids are currently being accepted (see the advertisement in the legal section of page 11 of this issue).
The airport is located within the Calhoun County Industrial Park which has been designated by the Governor’s Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development (OTTED) as the site of the Northwest Florida Catalyst Project.
Pictured, airport board members are joined by local elected officials and Chamber representatives at the groundbreaking.
