The Fayette County Zoning Hearing Board approved the request of the Fayette County Airport Authority to build corporate hangars and T-hangars at the Joseph A. Hardy Connellsville Airport.
Rob Sleighter of RW Sleighter Inc. of Lemont Furnace Wednesday told the zoning board that the project will begin to be funded by a $1 million grant from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program and a $1 million donation from a private individual.
The plans call for a 12,000 square-foot building to house three corporate hangars that are typically used for businesses with larger aircraft and five 7,900 square-foot buildings that each house six T-hangars used for smaller, private airplanes.
The total number of new hangers is expected to be 33.
Sleighter said the airport has 46 hangers; all are occupied.
Derrick Crane, an engineer with RW Sleighter, said electric and gas is available at the site, which is located on both sides of taxiway F, but a connection to the water and sewage will need to be made for the bathrooms for the proposed hangar buildings.
Zoning Board Member Edward Payson asked if there will be a need for additional parking on the site. Crane said there will be parking on the hangar aprons in front of the hangars as well as inside the hangars.
Payson asked if the taxpayers will have to pay anything for the project. Airport authority member Joseph Maher stated the project will not be a burden on taxpayers.
Sleighter said airports create a positive economic impact on an area, adding that it’s not a coincidence that Fay-Penn is working on opening two business parks on either side of the airport.
“You cannot entice people to come to Fayette County unless you have the facilities,” Maher said.
Sleighter said the project has support from the county commissioners, supervisors from Dunbar Township and North Union as well as state Reps. Tim Mahoney and Ryan Warner, state Sen. Pat Stefano and U.S. Rep. Bill Shuster.
There was no opposition to the project voiced.
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