Perry–Houston County Airport readies apron, hangars and taxiway repairs amid rising activity

Perry–Houston County Airport officials briefed the Houston County Board of Commissioners on planned construction and rehabilitation projects and recent traffic growth that prompted a reclassification and additional state and federal funding.

Airport representative Mr. Marquardt told commissioners the airport will begin a South Apron and taxi rehabilitation and rejuvenation project in March with a total cost of $956,000. The work will resurface an older apron, extend the life of asphalt around older T-hangars and add eight aircraft parking spaces, he said. Funding will come from airport improvement project funds and a combination of state and local matches; Marquardt said the Georgia Department of Transportation match is $54,000 and the airport will contribute $54,000.

Marquardt said the airport also signed a contract in January to build 14 new T-hangars for $1,100,000, with a $1,000,000 contribution from Houston County and $100,000 from the airport. He said that increase in hangar capacity will push the airport past 100 based aircraft (the airport currently reports 88), a threshold that changes how GDOT and the Federal Aviation Administration classify airports and the level of grant funding available.

Airport staff identified Taxiway Alpha at the north end as a high-priority repair because sections of asphalt are sliding; repair work is scheduled to start in July. Marquardt also said the airport will update its Airport Layout Plan (ALP) in July — normally produced every 10 years — because recent growth has outpaced the current ALP. He said the FAA has upgraded the facility to a regional airport, which Marquardt said adds roughly $100,000 in GDOT "bill money" for each of the last two years (totaling about $200,000 more over two years).

Marquardt gave additional operational details: October was a record fuel month with about 31,000 gallons pumped (he said more than 62% of that was jet fuel), one new corporate hangar under construction expected to add about 15 jobs, two more corporate hangars in planning or plan-approval phases, and a list of equipment obtained through federal acquisition programs, including an aircraft tug, two pickup trucks, a 5kW generator, a scissors lift, a ground power unit and a lavatory service cart.

Commissioners thanked Marquardt and noted the airport’s value for local economic development. No formal action was taken; the presentation was an informational update.