Aeronautics officials rebuffed by council

Copyright 1998. The Tuskegee News, Tuskegee, Alabama. Published November 12, 1998, and posted by permission.

The ongoing controversy about the role of the Tuskegee Airport Authority surfaced again at Tuesday's meeting of the Tuskegee City Council.

Among those on hand to make a presentation and request acceptance by the council for grants for Moton Field improvements were: Dr. John Eagerton, director of the Alabama Department of Aeronautics; Frank Farmer, airport inspector for the department: and Michael Helmsing, vice president of Volkert & Associates, the firm that worked with the project improvements.

They were not on the agenda and said later they had been invited by Mayor Ron Williams and Moton Field fixed based operator Col. (Ret.) Roosevelt Lewis to make a presentation.

Councilwoman Lateefah Muhammad, liaison to the Airport Authority, moved that the report be tabled and brought back to a council work session. Council president Freddie Washington expressed the same sentiments, but said he would allow a brief presentation. However, the officials after seeing the reaction of the council left the meeting after a short portion of their presentation.

During that period, Muhammad asked Dr. Eagerton if he was aware that there is an airport authority. Dr. Eagerton replied yes, but that the city, not the authority, held the deed to the airport and by law the Department of Aeronautics has to deal with the deed holder.

The Tuskegee Airport Authority was created by the previous council in 1993. Chairman of the authority is Raymond Griffin. Other members are Bifford Stevens and John Hicks. Bobby Owens is the authority's consultant.

The Aeronautics Department officials came to ask the council to accept and new electronic state-of-the-art landing system that would allow planes to land in poor weather and an updated master plan for Moton Field. Both are at no cost to the city. They also asked for the go-ahead to move forward on a $1.2 million grant request for improvements at the airport that would include a 2-inch overlay of the runway and extension of the runway to 6,500 feet. Ninety percent of that grant would be paid by federal and state funds with the city providing a 10 percent grant.

In comments after the officials left the meeting, Dr. Eagerton said that the fact that the deed is in the city's name and that the Airport Authority has no financial means, the state and federal organizations providing grants can't deal with the authority.

Muhammad said the authority is in the process of developing its own grant request and is attempting to meet with FAA officials to get input and clarification of its role. A meeting with an FAA official is scheduled for Nov. 24.

Dr. Eagerton said he had never been treated as rudely as he was At Tuesday's meeting, but that he and his associates would return to seek acceptance of the improvements at a point in time when internal problems within the city pertaining to the airport were worked out. Two of the officials traveled from Mobile for Tuesday's meeting.

Tuskegee Area Chamber of Commerce president Charlie Hardy, who has gone on record supporting accepting the improvement plans, termed the action Tuesday as "ridiculous."

"It is ridiculous how we treated these visitors, people who are well placed with the State Aeronautics Department," Hardy commented. "It hurts our image and stifles us with other projects we are working with through the Alabama Development Office and others.

"I appeal to the remaining council members--Mae Doris Williams, Jess Colson and Rozell Chappell--to regroup and move forward on the airport by accepting the project. With the coming of the National Airmen's Historic Site at Moton Field, we can't afford to delay this action."