Improvements to drainage at the Foley Municipal Airport are moving forward following action by the Foley City Council to approve construction and accept state and federal grant funding.
The council accepted the bid of RH Deas Co. for the drainage improvement project. The company submitted the lowest bid at $249,971.
The council also accepted grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) Aeronautics Bureau to help fund the work. The FAA will provide $287,000, while ALDOT will contribute $7,553. Together, the grants are expected to cover about 90% of the project’s cost.
Rachel Keith, airport manager, said Foley Public Works crews have already completed some drainage improvements, but additional work is needed to better manage stormwater on the airport property.
The project focuses on the northeast section of the airport, where the drainage channel extends north from Peachtree Avenue to the Magnolia River. Planned improvements include regrading the drainage area, installing concrete sidewalls at the Peachtree Avenue drainage outfall and reinforcing portions of the channel with rock to reduce erosion.
The City Council also accepted FAA and ALDOT grants that will provide the final reimbursement for an eight-unit T-hangar completed at the airport in 2024. The city will receive more than $140,000 to complete reimbursement for the project.
In addition to the current improvements, Foley is pursuing grant funding to replace the airport’s existing terminal building.
Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the proposed terminal project is intended to modernize the airport’s facilities and provide an updated location for the airport’s fixed base operator (FBO), which provides services for general aviation aircraft. He emphasized that the project is not intended to bring commercial airline service to Foley.
“When we say terminal, this is not going to commercial service,” Hellmich said. “This is maintaining the current status. Our FBO is in a terminal that’s been there for a lot of years. We need this.”