The Wood County Airport received some unexpected good news from the recently-completed session of the state legislature.

Airport leaders have long sought to extend the runaway from 4,000 feet to 5,000 in order to accommodate larger corporate aircraft, principally jets whose insurance requires them to use longer runways.

But funding was the chief hurdle, with the aviation division of the Texas Dept. of Transportation customarily unable to fund projects of that size ($8 million).

But with a huge budget surplus in Austin, one of the chief areas targeted for those excess funds was transportation.

At a presentation of the transportation commission in late June, the single line for an $8 million appropriation for the county airport popped up, having survived the budgeting process and approval from the governor.

The presentation referenced an historic investment in transportation, with a record $37.23 billion, including the department’s full capital budget request for the first time in its history and funding for 349 new positions, with the concentration at the district level.

Wood County’s appropriation comes directly from the general budget as a hand-picked project, which is highly unusual, only happening once before.

As a result, the airport board has had to scramble to get approval for a 10% match ($800,000) from its three partners, Wood County and the cities of Mineola and Quitman – all of which are in the final stages of approving their 2023-24 budgets.

At a county budget workshop last Thursday and a meeting of the Mineola Economic Development Corp. that evening, board chairman Randy Bateman secured pledges from Wood County, which funds 58% of the airport budget, and from the city using EDC funds for another 28%.

Bateman said he had found documents on the efforts to extend the runway dating back as far as 2001.

In recent years the board has increased its efforts in trying to secure the funding, with activities such as securing justification letters from jet operators and trying to figure out how to meet Federal Aviation Administration requirements on the runway clear zones (property extending beyond the runway).

As recently as two months ago TxDOT had indicated to the local board that there was no way within the foreseeable future that Wood County could receive that level of funding.

But with that one line in the budget presentation, everything changed.

Among the decisions to be made was whether  to go through TxDOT’s normal construction contracting channels, which could delay the project beyond the four-year window for the project, or handling the matter locally and having a manager for the county and the board to oversee the construction, which could meet that deadline. 

An ambitious timeline could have the projected completed by the end of next year, Bateman explained.

Addressing the Mineola Rotary Club Monday, Hefner said he is always working to see that the district gets its fair share of tax money back, and the airport appropriation will be funneled through TxDOT.

“I’m excited about that,” he said of the project.

He said he and State Sen. Bryan Hughes worked to get the line item in the state budget.

Bateman detailed the additional business that Wood County can receive from the longer runway.

Corporate jets that use airports in Tyler and Sulphur Springs would be able to come to Wood County.

He is already receiving calls from companies wanting to build hangars here.

The Mineola City Council gave its formal approval to an additional $200,000 for the airport budget in its ‘23-24 spending plan, funded by the EDC’s sales tax dollars.

County commissioners are expected to formalize their support with a resolution Friday. The county’s share is just over $500,000.

The city of Quitman’s share is about $100,000, and as of Tuesday had not met formally to consider the funding. Regular EDC and council meetings are next week.

Once the three approvals are finalized, Bateman said the airport board can begin securing contracts as soon as October, with the possibility of construction starting sometime next year.

In addition to stretching the runway 1,000 feet to the north – on land already owned by the county – the runway will also have to be widened to 75 feet (from 60).

Bateman said that when new lighting was installed several years ago, the possibility of adding 15 feet to the west side was anticipated, so an all new lighting system won’t have to be installed, saving some money.

Another savings will be a planned overlay of the runway surface, which will no longer be needed.