PICKENS COUNTY — The newly hired manager of the Pickens County Airport has big plans for the facility, but crumbling asphalt and limited hangar space are becoming serious problems for the airport’s continued growth.
“We’re growing, and we’re growing fast,” said Airport Manager Carlos Salinas during a presentation at the Pickens Rotary Club. “We’ve got a waiting list of about 60 people wanting hangar space for their planes.”
The problem is that the airport, which is located between Pickens and Liberty, is in short supply of level ground on which to expand.
“We have enough room to maybe build two more hangars, but if we were to build more, we’re going to run into problems,” he said. “This property behind the terminal, we don’t own it. And if we go up past the runway — we’re looking at moving some serious earth.”
Salines said the two areas of property that might be suitable for development would be “nowhere near” the amount needed to accommodate everyone who is interested in storing their aircraft on site.
“Planes aren’t cheap,” he said. “As you can imagine if you’re going to invest, say $50,000, in an aircraft, you’re not going to want to leave it out in the elements. Hangar space is really essential if you want to grow.”
Steep drop-offs and an otherwise hilly and rocky terrain would require a massive commitment to a grading and renovation operation, Salinas said.
“My input is that it would be a revenue neutral proposition,” he said. “If you were to put out a bond or however you wanted to approach it, you could charge (hangar) rent.”
Besides limited space for a growing demand, another problem plaguing the airport is the asphalt, which is quite literally crumbling apart.
Following a recent pavement study at the airport, it was revealed that much of the asphalt is in dire need of patching — if not outright replacement.
“To keep it simple, there’s green, yellow and orange,” said Salinas. “Green is good, yellow is cautionary and orange is bad.”
Salinas said that much of the pavement is in “yellow” or “orange” — with the yellow turning into orange if it’s not patched and treated soon.
“There’s some federal funds available that would largely cover the operation,” he said. “When you reach the 10 to 15 year mark, that’s the lifeline for asphalt for aviation purposes.”
Salinas said that period can be extended if steps are taken to repair the pavement.
“What I see happening is most likely replacement of the ‘orange’ pavement and treating the ‘yellow’,” he said. “That will give us a few more years to figure out exactly what we want to do.
Salinas said either project would be something that would need to be presented to Pickens County Council for approval but that no official proposals had been made at this time.
