Wed, Aug 29, 2012
Votes Monday To Accept $1.85 Million, Approve Local Match
After expressing concerns that it would largely benefit a private company leasing space at the Tupelo, MS, airport, the Tupelo City Council voted unanimously Monday night to accept a $1.85 million AIP grant and put up a 2.5 percent local match.
The council had balked at the proposal last week, saying it had not had enough time to consider its implications. Some on the council said it would have largely benefited Universal Asset Management, a private firm set to lease former National Guard property at the airport. The Airport Authority had said that the apron and taxiways leading to the site had been damaged, and were in need of repair. Money was also needed for air conditioning repair and security improvements.
The council said it felt like it was being rushed to make a decision given the deadline for approving the federal grant, and raised questions about the airport authority's management style. The deadline for accepting the grant was midnight Monday. The Digital Journal in Mississippi reports that after a special meeting Monday afternoon, the council voted 7-0 to approve the grants, but not without reservations. "We have to support our airport. We've got some issues to work on. We're pretty much boxed in at this point and we've got to support it," said Councilman Jim Newell. The council would have been responsible for paying for some of the improvements and repairs if they had not accepted the grants.
UAM is reportedly entering into a 20-year lease with the Airport Authority.
More News
An Amazing Experience Awaits The Chosen Few... Oshkosh, to us, seems the perfect place to get started on watching aviation recover the past couple of years... and so ANN is putting>[...]
“NBAA has a tremendous responsibility to the business aviation industry, and we are constantly collaborating with them. Our flight departments, professionals and aircraft own>[...]
Dead Reckoning Dead reckoning, as applied to flying, is the navigation of an airplane solely by means of computations based on airspeed, course, heading, wind direction, and speed,>[...]
Aero Linx: Vertical Aviation Safety Team (VAST) We are a public–private initiative to enhance worldwide flight operations safety in all segments of the vertical flight indust>[...]
We're Everywhere... Thanks To You! Even with the vast resources and incredibly far-reaching scope of the Aero-News Network, every now and then a story that should be reported on sl>[...]