BLOUNTSTOWN, Fla. (WMBB) — The new Calhoun County Airport is ready for takeoff.

Members of the community gathered to celebrate the ribbon cutting and grand opening of the airport on Saturday.

“This has been a great day,” Scott Monlyn, the Chairman of the Board of Calhoun County Commissioners, said. “We dedicate this building to the citizens of Calhoun County, behind Hurricane Michael 2018.”

Monlyn said Hurricane Michael damaged and destroyed many parts of the original airport.

After two and a half years and a $2.1 million grant from the Florida Department of Transportation, the new, state-of-the-art airport is complete.

The airport features a 4,000-square-foot terminal and 41 hangars.

“Just a joyous day… The building is great,” Monlyn said. “I would invite anyone to come down and look at it.”

Industrial Development Authority Board Chairman and airport manager Scott Snyder said this airport will hopefully bring in industry that the county desperately needs.

“This is so important, we’re a small rural community, farming community… We’ve got beautiful rivers, friendly people… Lots of forests and farms,” Snyder said. “But we don’t have industry here so much.”

He said he hopes pilots will come through and fall in love with the town, and hopefully plant roots here too. Monlyn agreed.

“[The airport is] hopefully bringing new jobs… When you bring something back, you bring it back better, and that’s what God allowed us to do,” Monlyn said. “He allowed us to come back stronger, so we’re looking for new and bigger companies to come in and help us expand Calhoun County.”