“An evolving” Oconee Airport capital improvement plan

Road changes and runway improvements make up “an evolving” capital improvement plan presented last night to the group that makes policy for the Oconee Regional Airport.  The county aeronautics commissioners received from their outside consultants a plan to chart the next five years for the small airport that sits across Lake Hartwell from Clemson University.  Each year from fiscal 2017 thru 2022 the W-K Dickson consultant firm suggests projects such as runway extension and apron expansion.  Not on the list but referred to briefly was the idea of building a new terminal closer to the Shiloh Road end of the airport.  W-K Dickson’s Joe Barkevich stressed the importance of making a case to state and federal aviation authorities to allow Oconee to extend runway 7 toward Shiloh Road and the necessary re-location of a part of the nearby Mount Nebo Church Road.  For all projects, the capital improvement plan carries an estimated price tag of $10 million.  The plan is to seek state and federal money to pay all but approximately $1.5 million of that cost.