UCRA Creating Team To Lead Commercial Flight Efforts

The Upper Cumberland Airport is creating a nine-member board to figure out how to implement commercial flights.

Airport Manager Dean Selby said Cookeville, Sparta, Putnam and White County will have a representative as well as five members that Selby will select.

“We’re changing the way that we are doing a lot of things that you have to do for commercial operation, so I need certain people that have expertise in certain areas,” Selby said. “Each of the four governments has an appointee that will be their interaction with this team.”

Selby said grant writing, governmental finances and airport operations are the skills the team will have. Selby said the group will work on the most cost effective way to provide commercial flights while also focusing on marketing and services.

“This group is who we’re going to figure out what it is going to cost us, how we’re going to do it, who are we going to reproach and what is the best way to service people and implement it with the best results possible,” Selby said.

Selby said this step is just one of the early stages of achieving commercial flight. Selby said the team has not been fully selected at this time. Selby said he hopes to have the team together by next month’s board meeting.