The Coweta County Commission decided Tuesday night to help bail the county's airport authority out of red ink.

The commission voted unanimously to look into restructuring a loan from a five-year payoff to a 10-year payoff after listening to a report from the airport authority's chairman, Dr. Charles M. Barron.

Barron told the board the airport authority is currently taking in $96,000 a year in revenue, but expenses are almost $116,000.

The biggest expense in the authority's budget is a $48,000 a year payment to the county on the five-year loan. If the loan was restructured to 10 years, Barron felt confident the authority would be able to balance its books.

Barron also asked the county to take over the mowing operations at the Newnan-Coweta Airport. Currently, the authority contracts the business to a mowing service, which is nearly an $8,000 a year expense.

The authority chairman said there was no other way to squeeze any more revenue out of the airport.

“All our buildings are occupied and we've got a waiting list with 43 people on it,” he said.

Eventually, the county is going to have to expand the facility to accommodate the growing population, Barron said.

The biggest plus at the airport this year has been the addition of the new fuel farm, Barron added.

The fuel farm gives the airport the capability of selling large quantities of bonded fuel to airplanes that fly into the airport.

Earlier this year when a movie was being filmed in the county, a huge Gulfstream jet flew into the airport. When it left, airport workers were able to load it up with 2,000 gallons of fuel.

“It doesn't cost us any more to sell 2,000 gallons than 15 gallons. It just takes a little more time,” he said.

The commissioners thanked Barron for his presentation and said they would get back to the authority after investigating new terms for the loan.

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