Athens airport board votes to clear tree line, not install east-side fence

The Airport Advisory Board of the City of Athens voted unanimously on June 15 to clear a tree line on the airport's east side and defer installing a proposed 3,750-foot, 8-foot-high fence.

Public Works Director Shannon Easley presented cost estimates during the regular session, saying tree removal would cost about $9,949 while fence installation was estimated at $34,150. After discussion the board agreed to remove the trees only. Board Member Randy Ball moved to proceed with tree clearing and Board Member Charlie Tidmore seconded; the motion carried unanimously. Chairman Keno Brown said the board will forward the recommendation to the Athens City Council.

The decision reverses an item the board had tabled at its April 20 meeting and leaves the council with the choice whether to pursue fencing in the future. The board did not approve funds for fence construction at this meeting; the record shows only the tree-line clearing recommendation and its referral to council.

Board members voted on other routine business earlier in the meeting, including approving the minutes of the May 18 regular session; those motions also passed unanimously.

The board did not set a timeline for the tree-clearing work during the meeting. Shannon Easley provided the project cost estimate and will presumably coordinate implementation details with city staff and contractors if the council concurs with the recommendation.

The board entered a work session after regular business and later heard a separate airport layout plan presentation from consultants with Garver.