Airport staff report progress on waterline, ALP, tower benefit‑cost work and Shafer project

Staff reported that the waterline project received Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation approval and that pipe deliveries and contractor mobilization will begin soon; a preconstruction meeting with the Bedford County Utility District is planned.

The airport layout plan (ALP) work is ongoing; staff said they are coordinating with TDOT on runway protection zone alternatives and mitigation. For a proposed control tower, consultants are finalizing a benefit‑cost analysis and the airport is compiling revenue and operations data to cross the threshold required for federal application and environmental/siting steps.

The Shafer project, originally scoped as a metal structure with minor taxiway work, has expanded to include additional parking and drainage improvements; staff said the project will be updated in the capital improvement plan and pushed into design. Terminal renovation eligibility under federal and state programs remains under review, with staff and consultants reconciling which components would be federally eligible (for example ADA work) versus items that would rely on state/local funding.