The McComb-Pike County Airport is about to see some movement on repairing damage from a November tornado, but it’s going to be a more expensive proposition than previously planned.
Craig Haskins told his fellow board members that Brad Clark of Clark Construction had told him that demolition on a badly damaged hangar and its slab should begin next week.
“That will be weather permitting,” Haskins said.
He said Clark told him that Magnolia Electric Power had erected a temporary pole to help power the airport’s fuel farm while repairs are made there, and that repairs to the hangar attached to the metal fixed-base operator building had gone up about 30% since the storm damage claim was settled with the insurance company.
Clark, who arrived at the meeting later, noted that sheets of plywood, not long ago priced at $8, now have an index price of $50, but could cost as much as $72.
A seven-day quote on steel building studs went up by $150,000 when the quote expired, he said.
“It’s just crazy now,” Clark said.
On a different set of projects, the board ratified the submission of a multi-modal grant to the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
Tom Henderson from Neel-Schaffer Engineering said the grant application for $145,000 had been submitted to fix the roofs of 1970s-era hangars and the FBO headquarters building.
Board members ratified the application and approved signing off on FAA requirements concerning lobbying, conflicts of interest, drug-free workplaces and consultant selections.
In other business, the board:
• Heard from board attorney Robin Dickerson that the board probably can legally create an aviation scholarship using its funds. She recommended that the board get letters authorizing creation of the scholarship from the city and county governments if they decide to move forward with the project.
• Heard from board accountant Hal Holloway that the board has $481,638 in the bank since the insurance settlement from the November tornado was received. There was about $63,000 in the board’s bank account before the settlement was received.
Bills approved for payment during the meeting took the balance down to $422,666.
Holloway said the city’s annual allocation of $10,400 had not yet been received.
The city had also received about $9,000 in federal CARES Act funding and is awaiting reimbursement of advance spending for a grant project.
