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Greene County Airport paving postponed

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XENIA — A $1.37 million runway resurfacing project at the Greene County – Lewis A. Jackson Regional Airport has been postponed. The paving project was originally slated to take place earlier this summer, but a delay in federal funding for the work forced airport officials to move the paving to spring 2016.

“We just did not want to take a risk of running into cool weather this year,” Greene County Airport Manager Dave Kushner said. While funding for the project was recently finalized, according to Kushner, by time a contractor was ready to pave at the airport’s 337,500-square-foot surface, the calendar would likely have flipped to October or November, which would put the project in danger of running up against asphalt suppliers closing for the winter.

“We’re going to be laying a lot of asphalt out here,” Kushner said. “If that were to happen, then it could potentially leave the runway closed through the winter. That’s a much bigger risk than we want to take.”

Kushner said the airport has an agreement with the paving contractor such that the delay won’t boost project costs.

Local officials were recently notified of a final FAA grant for the project, to the tune of about $1.2 million. The airport’s contribution to the project will be about $137,500.

The delay could be a blessing in disguise for the airport, as the paving project could potentially dovetail with other projects, including the construction of a new ramp there. The paving project is expected to close the airport for about 30 days.

The resurfacing project comes as the runway has begun to show signs of its age through cracks along its surface. The runway was last paved about 10 years ago.

The paving project was originally slated to take place earlier this summer, but a delay in federal funding for the work forced airport officials to move the paving to spring 2016.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/09/web1_airport.jpgThe paving project was originally slated to take place earlier this summer, but a delay in federal funding for the work forced airport officials to move the paving to spring 2016. Nathan Pilling | Greene County News

The resurfacing project comes as the runway has begun to show signs of its age through cracks along its surface. The runway was last paved about 10 years ago.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2015/09/web1_airport2.jpgThe resurfacing project comes as the runway has begun to show signs of its age through cracks along its surface. The runway was last paved about 10 years ago. Nathan Pilling | Greene County News

By Nathan Pilling

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Reach Nathan Pilling at 937-502-4498 or on Twitter @XDGNatePilling.