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Upson County wins GDOT grant for airport project; board may be asked to cover $265,000 local match
Summary
County staff said GDOT offered about $949,000 for airport hangar, taxiway and ramp projects that together total roughly $6.2 million; staff asked commissioners to anticipate a request for about $265,000 in local matching funds (SPLOST and city cost‑share options discussed).
County staff presented updated numbers on airport infrastructure work and a surprise GDOT grant offer at the April 1 work session that substantially reduced the county's anticipated borrowing for a corporate hangar and taxiway renovations.
What staff told the board: the presenter said the county previously planned to borrow $1.5 million for airport work but GDOT has offered about $949,000 in grant funding, which would reduce the county's out‑of‑pocket financing commitment. Staff summarized the program as a multiyear set of projects totaling roughly $6.2 million in infrastructure and expansion costs and said individual project components carry different local‑match obligations.
Key figures cited by staff:
- GDOT preliminary grant offer: $949,000. - Total airport program investment (infrastructure and expansion): about $6.2 million. - Local match requested (total recommended to county): approximately $265,000 (staff requested the county consider covering local match shares and noted the city may be asked to contribute roughly 32% of the local match on joint elements). - A specific construction package (ramp and apron) was described as a $4.5 million bid with a 95% reimbursement profile and a 5% local match of about $226,000 for that component.
Staff explained GDOT rules require a grant and a notice to proceed before construction begins; otherwise costs paid before a grant can be non‑reimbursable. The design phase for a parallel taxiway was estimated at $151,000 (75/25 split; the SPLOST portion cited as $38,882). Staff said the project is on GDOT's FY27 schedule (beginning July 1) and that construction could be staged over several months to spread the local match across the county's budget cycle.
Board discussion focused on how to fund the county share, whether SPLOST is the correct source, and whether the city would participate in the local match or require an intergovernmental agreement. Staff also noted operational benefits of the airport for emergency response: county and regional hospital medevac operations rely on availability at Upson Regional.
Next steps: staff will present formal funding requests in a future session; no formal vote was taken at the work session.
