$6.7 Million Grant to Enhance Jamestown Airport

The Federal Aviation Administration awarded the Jamestown Municipal Airport with a $6.7 million grant Monday.

Jamestown Mayor Lyndon Baines said the grant will bring more business to the area.

“Nine out of ten, if any kind of industry or business comes to Fentress County or Jamestown, they are going to fly in. I want them to see a nice airport as a first impression and say look what they have done with this airport, let’s see what they can do for me,” Baines said. “And that’s one of my biggest things. Just try to enhance the image of Fentress County and Jamestown.”

Baines said the application process began under former Mayor Darlene Monday Davis.

“[I] went back and tried to get some more work done on it. And I went to Memphis to the FFA regional office. I talked to them,” Baines said. “I have also been to Washington D.C. to talk to some representatives from Tennessee to try to help me. I went to Nashville to TDOT Aeronautics and they have helped us out tremendously.  It’s been a long process.”

Baines said the $6.7 million will pay for resurfacing and repairs of the runway and taxiways. The grant does not require a match from the city.

“FFA is starting a rule pretty soon that taxiways will have to be 300 foot from the center line. Right now ours are 250 feet from the center line,” Baines said. “So we are just going to go ahead and fix that while we are at it. And mostly the resurfacing of the runway, because the last time it was resurfaced was 1996.”

Baines said the airport will have to extend the runway after the next two years as well.

“Well, we are hoping that this time next week we will have the official contract that I’ll sign. Then we will put out for bids sometime,” Baines said. “I am looking in late July or sometime in August before we actually get started on the project. This will be a long process here. It will probably take, I am guessing, six months to get all this done.”

Baines said the airport recently added a 24-hour fueling system at the airport to entice further industry as well.