ALBANY – If it seems something new is always popping up at the Southwest Georgia Regional Airport, it isn’t an illusion. Over the past several years, the transportation hub has gotten a newly revamped main terminal, and since then it has witnessed the completion of hangar and general aviation facilities.
The city of Albany and Albany Area Chamber of Commerce celebrated those newest additions this week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the recently opened general aviation terminal and corporate hangar complex.
The facilities represent an investment of more than $15 million in Albany, with local and state - but mostly federal - dollars utilized to finance the construction projects, Albany Mayor Bo Dorough said. The nearly completed renovations at Driskell Park and the coming renovation project at the former Ritz Theater are two other projects that will improve south Albany, the mayor said, noting that U.S. Rep. Sanford Bishop, D-Albany, has been instrumental in all of those projects.
“Today is the culmination of a $15 million project which will improve this airport’s ability to serve Albany and southwest Georgia,” Bishop said during remarks prior to the cutting of the ribbon.
Credit: Alan Mauldin
Credit: Alan Mauldin
When COVID-19 hit, it was clear that transportation facilities needed immediate assistance to deal with the pandemic. Funding also was needed to boost the airport’s ability to serve the public, Bishop said. In addition to serving travelers, it also is a hub for shipping.
The airport received funding through infrastructure legislation signed by President Biden in 2021, Bishop said, and also has received $1.1 million allocations for Fiscal Years 2022 through 2024.
“For nearly a century, this airport has served as a conduit for (travel),” the Congressman said. “Many tourists come for hunting quail; they come to fish. They come for what southwest Georgia has to offer.
“This airport means millions of dollars a year to the local economy.”
During an interview following the ceremony, Bishop said the hangar and general aviation terminal, which serve private aviation, represent “another step in growth in the global economy. This is one heck of a gateway for business.”
Albany architect Sonya Spalinger of SRJ Architects threaded the needle to produce a design that both emulates the existing general aviation terminal and also provides the look of a hunting lodge, Alan Mathis, whose company Eagles of America serves as the fixed-base operator for the new facilities, said.
The interior, with a fireplace and paintings of rural landscapes by local artist David Lanier, provide that feel, he said.
“She made it work,” Mathis said of Spalinger. “The (exterior) bricks, the blocks, the arch of the roof, are exactly the same. She wanted it to be like a quail-hunting lodge, but she also wanted it to fit in with what’s here.
“Those country roads (in the paintings), hunting dogs, rural settings show southwest Georgia.”
The hangars will house the planes for hunters while they are in town.
While rental income is significant, the hope is that some of the plane owners will make the large facility the permanent home for their jets, Mathis said. Those property tax dollars would be significant. One owner already has committed to bringing his plane to Albany on a permanent basis.
Travelers also will have an improved experience at the new general aviation building, which replaces the aging facility torn down to make way for it. The old building was built in 1938.
“We’re excited that since 2023, we now have a 21st-century terminal for commercial passengers, and now a state-of-the-art general aviation terminal and the hangars that can accommodate private aircraft,” Dorough said.
Credit: Albany Herald
Credit: Albany Herald
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