During its regularly scheduled meeting on Monday, Nov. 4, the Limestone County Commission approved a $2,288,075 contract with REV Construction, LLC, for the continuation of sanitary sewer improvement projects at Pryor Field Regional Airport.

“This is for the expansion of a sewer line down there that will allow for further economic development in the future,” Limestone County Commission Chairman Collin Daly told The News Courier. “This was 100 percent paid for through grants and other outlets, so there’s no money coming out of our residents’ pockets. In the aviation industry you’ve got to have the proper sanitation system in place, and you’ve got to be prepared to have an industrial site ready, so that’s what this was for.”

The project, funded by substantial grants from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Department of Commerce, aims to upgrade the airport’s infrastructure to accommodate increasing demands.

Located in Tanner, the general aviation airport has undergone immense growth in recent years — in both clients and facilities — as new businesses continue to flood into North Alabama: In October, Airport Director Adam Fox and several members of the Airport Authority Board broke ground on a $3.5 million concrete taxiway and access road project for future developments on the 85-acres of land on the southeast side of the airport.

“This project is to support the southeast developments at Pryor Field,” Fox, who was in attendance at the council’s meeting at the Clinton Street Courthouse Annex, said. “This specific project will fund the sewer’s lift station and all the other necessary infrastructure to tie back into the existing sanitary system that runs parallel to Highway 31, in front of Calhoun Community College.”

According to Fox, the project was designed by Goodwyn Mills Cawood — one of the largest architecture and engineering firms in the southeast United States.

Fox also broke down total funding for the project. He noted that $1 million funds came from the Community Development Block Grant from ADECA and $1 million came from ARC, leaving the $288,075 to be funded from the Department of Commerce.

“This is just another critical infrastructure project that is needed to allow for third-party developments on this parcel of land at Pryor Field Regional Airport,” Fox said. “This sewer infrastructure will not only support the airport, but it will also support future developments outside of the airport in Limestone County.”

Fox specifically highlighted the four entities that oversee Pryor Field Regional Airport — the city of Athens, the city of Decatur, Limestone County and Morgan County — which paid for the project’s “soft” costs, such as engineering fees and GMC’s project oversight. Together, the four entities contributed $119,000 each to cover the $476,000 in those costs.

“This is a picture-perfect scenario of regionalism that supports growth in North Alabama, creating jobs and economic development prosperity through Pryor Field. This is definitely a success story,” Fox said. “Partnerships are critical to have economic development infrastructure and projects succeed. Our four entities, along with the state of Alabama, have all participated to make this critical infrastructure a success. Without this critical sewer expansion project we would not be able to develop the southeast area at Pryor Field — which will create more than 400 jobs in the next five years.”