Airport receives FAA grant for improvements
The Portsmouth Daily Times, September 26, 2013

By:  Wayne Allen, PDT Staff Writer

The Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport in Minford has received a $90,885 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to address a number of maintenance projects.

Paul Brogdon, Manager of the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport, said with the funding, “We’re doing some drainage work, tree clearing for the approach to runway 18.  Trees grow and as they grow they get up into the approach.  We have to keep them at a safe distance from the approach.”

He said also included in this year’s work will be some runway safety area grading and fence installation.

With the same grant in 2012, work was done on taxiway resurfacing and drainage issues.

He said the airport has been trying to address various drainage issues for quite sometime.

Brogdon said this is a grant received yearly from the FAA to funded projects.

“These are projects that we don’t have the money for, $90,000 is a ton of money.  Without the FAA money these jobs would not get done, we can’t afford it and the county can’t afford it either,” Brogdon said.  “This FAA money is real important to us.”

Brogdon said these are necessary projects to keep the airport in working condition.

“If we don’t keep it up, it’s going to fall apart,” Brogdon said.

He said work began on Monday, Sept. 23 and crews are currently working at the airport.