Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Happening Now

Airport Moving With Fuel Farm Relocation

The Livingston Municipal Airport has awarded a bid for its fuel farm relocation project with construction expected to start in March.

Airport Board Chair Jason Duke said the project will not only move the tanks but also renovate the airport’s fueling system. Duke said the airport will remain open during the project but there will be about two weeks where fuel services will be unavailable.

“You got a three to five percent slope here,” Duke said. “Jet aircraft need to be level when they’re center point fueling so they will not buy fuel from the Livingston Airport. So we’re going to have to move the fuel farm from here to the other side of the T-hangar. And when we make the move we’re going to also paint the tanks, replace all the gasket seals, service everything.”

Duke said the airport is about to start taking bids for its $792,000 terminal renovation project planned to begin in June. Duke said the terminal’s front entrance, kitchen, and bathroom will all be completely redone.

“The entire building will be renovated inside,” Duke said. “New siding, new windows, new HVAC system, everything. It will completely renovated.”

Duke said that project will elevate the terminal to look like what a businessperson would expect to see when flying into an airport.

“We were able to apply and get the maximum grant possible so we’re going to be able to pay for ninety-five percent of the entire project off of state and federal funds,” Duke said.

Duke said the airport also received a grant providing seventy-five percent of the funding for any kind of grounds maintenance equipment up to $80,000 over the next four years. Duke said the state would provide $60,000 and the remaining $20,000 would have to come from local funding.

“We could make that purchase or not but why would you not want to buy equipment that we use every day that’s paid for seventy-five percent? It’s kind of a no brainer,” Duke said.

Duke said the fuel farm relocation is budgeted to cost $495,000 and $470,205 will be covered by the state. Duke said the airport will recoup the local contribution in less than a year through fuel sales.

“There’s no airport in Pickett County or Clay County and the Jackson Count runway is pray before you land because there’s no lights and no fuel,” Duke said. “So Livingston serves about four counties, not just Overton County.”

Duke said the airport is also in the early stages of its wetland mitigation project set to take place throughout 2026. Duke said the local portion of all of these projects will be split evenly between the city and Overton County.

Share