Airport presenter urges board to accept FAA‑backed grant to update Okolona airport plan

An airport presenter identified in the transcript as Mr. May told the City of Okolona governing board on Sept. 2 that the airport’s layout plan and pavement work need updating to meet current FAA standards and to preserve eligibility for future federal funding.

“This is a critical thing that the FAA wanted us to go ahead and do because it needed to be updated,” Mr. May said, describing required changes to airport geometry and navigation points. He said the total cost of the project is $167,368 and that the federal government would cover 95 percent, the state 2.5 percent and the city about 2.5 percent.

Mr. May said most of the grant money will go toward a planned paving project and the update to the airport layout plan, and that approving acceptance of the grant would enable the city to move forward with design, bidding and future funding requests. “By your approving this tonight, we will go ahead and be getting everything set in motion,” he said.

The board’s discussion focused on the need to bring the planning documents up to date to align with GPS‑based procedures and with criteria used by FAA and state reviewers. The transcript records the presentation and a brief public exchange but does not include a formal roll‑call motion or an explicit vote on the grant acceptance.

Next steps: Mr. May recommended formal acceptance so the city can execute grant paperwork and start contract work; the transcript indicates a recommendation but does not record the board’s formal vote in the public minutes captured in the audio.