Sep. 11—Comprehensive repairs for the Jack Brooks Regional Airport are moving forward.
This week, the Jefferson County Commissioners Court committing nearly $17 million for improvements to the regional airport.
Airport Manager Alex Rupp said the move allows the county to move forward with engineering firms that actually will design the projects.
The funds come from the CARES Act, which in 2020 was signed into law by then-President Donald Trump in the early days of the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
"We went from February of 2020, when everybody was traveling on airplanes to April 2020, when nobody was traveling on airplanes, and the airlines were fixing to go bankrupt," Jefferson County Judge Jeff Branick said.
"This was kind of a once in a lifetime appropriation for airports that's allowing them to do a lot of the work during a time when air travel was down to historically low levels."
Projects on tap for Jack Brooks include improving ground markings and pavement on the airfield itself, drainage improvements, updating the aircraft rescue and fire fighting station, upgrading the main terminal HVAC, electrical work and other ongoing maintenance.
With Hurricane Ida a recent reminder of the devastation of storms from the Gulf, making certain repairs is of particular importance.
"The biggest project is going to be the drainage," Rupp said. "That's a real key element for this area — given the significant rainfall events we've experienced with Harvey and Imelda.
"The end goal here is to keep the airfield in operation for as long as possible during inclement weather events.
That allows us to operate as quickly as possible after a hurricane or major flooding event to get first responders in quickly for search and rescue operations to commence, for damage assessment to operate, and items of that nature."
The airport also is taking on an additional major project — remodeling the terminal. Rupp plans to turn about 2,500 square feet of the terminal into a first responder station because the airport is a hub for emergency relief after natural disasters.
This renovation will provide housing for the National Guard, first responders and volunteers who come to help the community.
Rupp will present all the plans to the Federal Aviation Administration this upcoming spring, and construction can begin soon afterward. Most of the projects are expected to be completed in 2022 or by 2023.
"Some of the projects can be pretty short — about a three to six month timeline," Rupp said.
"Some might take 12 to 16 months. Just depends on the size and scope of the work."
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