NATCHEZ, Miss. – Upgrades for the Natchez-Adams County Airport are being planned to ensure it remains a viable transportation modal.
“It’s deteriorating. It needs to be addressed,” airport consultant Joe Levraea told the Adams County Board of Supervisors.
The board on Tuesday heard Levraea and airport Director of Aviation Richard Nelson discuss plans for runway resurfacing and lighting at the 74-year-old county-owned facility.
Nelson said an airport master plan has been in the works to show what’s needed for funds to be sought largely from the federal government.
While the Natchez-Adams County Airport is aged and needs improvements, its basic infrastructure is solid, Nelson said. It currently doesn’t have commercial passenger service but is set up for that potential. A more immediate need is to ensure the airport can sufficiently accommodate airplanes for businesses or industries wanting to locate in Adams County, the airport representatives told county supervisors Tuesday.
Nelson said an ongoing project is installing new airfield lighting controls. Another project in the plans is rehabilitating the airport’s main runway. Estimated costs: $6 million, with the Federal Aviation Administration providing 90 percent to combine with state and local funds (5 percent each), according to Nelson. The airport’s share would be around $200,000-$300,000. Actual construction would be two years away around March 2022.
The Natchez-Adams County Airport dates back to1946, when its property was obtained from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers through a coastal-defense program, according to an historical account posted on the airport’s website (flyhez.com). Runways were constructed then in the military style of the day.
The existing terminal building was constructed in 1959 by Natchez and Adams County. Hardy-Anders Field was named to honor two Adams County military pilots killed during World War II. The terminal building was named in 2003 as a tribute to longtime airport director Billy Simmons and wife Helen.
Passenger airline service was offered at the airport from the early 1950s to the late 1980s and again briefly in the mid-1990s. Over the years, the two runways have been upgraded and lighting has been added and improved, bringing the airport in line to hold an air-carrier certificate.
The airport is governed by a five-member board: Gary Holloway, David Gaude, Edward Ealey, Theodore Johnson and John McCullough. The Adams County Airport Commission is appointed by the five county supervisors.
