June 19, 2013
The Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 977, based in Lake City, Fla., traveled with six aircraft to the Cook County Airport on Saturday.
Mark Wiencek, EAA 977 fly-out coordinator, thanked Michael Dinnerman, Airport Authority chairman and County Commissioner, for the hospitality shown to the group last Saturday. “We enjoyed seeing your new terminal and hearing of all the great plans you have for the Cook County Airport,” Wiencek told Dinnerman.
Members of EAA 977 hail from north central Florida and southern Georgia. “We pride ourselves in being very active, and we strive to travel by aircraft to breakfast every Saturday morning,” Wiencek said. (The group ate breakfast at IHOP of Adel.)
“Also, other events are planned and coordinated, such as local airport fly-ins, aviation museums, tours, etc.,” Wiencek said. “We sometimes can see upwards of 20 aircraft attending.”
EAA encourages any local pilots to join the club and activities. Details on Chapter 977 can be seen at the website: www.eaa977.org.
Community leaders emphasize the strong role that the airport provides in local economic development. An announcement is expected to be made soon about the opening of a new industry that has its own airplane; the company officials love the airport improvements.
During the Cook County Board of Commissioners’ meeting Monday night, the Commission unanimously accepted a United States Department of Agriculture grant in the amount of $55,950 for furnishings and electronics in the new airport terminal. (The Board also authorized endorsement of documents related to the grant.) The grant will involve a 65 percent federal funds-35 percent local match, with the local funds paid from the Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST).
Shandolyn Smith with USDA presented the grant to the County Commissioners. Commissioner Dinnerman thanked USDA for helping rural communities, as well as Vickie Hughes, the grant writer, and Jerome Tucker, an economic development specialist, for their work on the project. Dinnerman described Tucker as being “rural Georgia’s voice” and noted Tucker’s role in assessing the needs of many communities.
“It is unbelievable the impact that an airport will have on a community,” Tucker said. Mrs. Hughes said the airport upgrades are important because when new industry prospects fly in, the first image they will have of the community will be the state of Cook County Airport. The latest technology provided by the grant for the airport terminal will make the facility “a state-of-the-art gateway” for Cook County, she said.
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