By CASSANDRA MICKENS / Associate Editor 

COLUMBIANA — The Shelby County Commission Nov. 12 authorized a grant application for a new six-unit hangar at the Shelby County Airport.

The commission also authorized local matching funds of $16,750 required for the grant application. If the application is approved, the new hangar would be the latest in a string of renovations at the Shelby County Airport. Recent updates include runway extension, pavement rehabilitation and a new runway lighting system. The new hangar would be built along a previously constructed taxilane.

Construction of the new hangar is estimated to cost $335,000, with the Federal Aviation Administration funding 90 percent of the project, or $301,500. Both the state and the commission would each contribute $16,750.

County Manager Alex Dudchock told commissioners the additional hangar would accommodate more aircraft and provide additional space for prospective tenants while serving as a revenue source for the airport. Construction of another 16 hangars at the airport is under way, funded by federal and state dollars.

“Every time we’ve built a hanger over the last 10 years, it has been booked on initial opening,” said Dudchock, adding that it’s important the airport have vacancies for existing and prospective clients.