Federal dollars will be landing at the Gilmer County airport.
A total of $110,000 from a federal bipartisan infrastructure bill is earmarked for the facility. It was announced by Georgia Senators John Ossoff and the Rev. Raphael Warnock.
Gilmer’s airport serves small aircraft on its 3,507 foot runway and is budgeted $426,929 by the county.
“In terms of an emergency, it can accommodate flights in and out,” said Gilmer County Chair Charlie Paris. “That, right now, is the primary function.”
It also serves local flying enthusiasts and companies who need to ferry executives in and out of the county.
Gilmer County Director of Planning and Zoning Jim Smith was put in charge of the facility recently. It is staffed by two part-time employees, but not in the evening or night hours.
In 2024, the airport saw 2,402 operations such as takeoffs and landings. So far in 2025 the number is 1,341.
Two hangers at the runway house 13 planes, and there are 13 more tie-downs.
“We’d love to build more hangers, but they are unbelievable expensive right now,” said Paris.
At the last Gilmer County Board of Commissioners meeting, the hangers were a topic of conversation. Other than the planes which lease the berths, starlings have been making their homes inside the hangers for free.
“They just cause all kind of heck out there,” Paris said. “A lot of it involves white specs on the planes.”
In the future, Paris said the county would like to extend the runway to accommodate larger planes, but nothing has been planned.
“It’s on the wish list, but it is a wish list and not a project list,” he said.
A fence was recently installed along the runway to keep deer off the area.
“Maybe it won’t interest people, but will be pretty good news to pilots,” Paris said.
As for the influx of federal dollars, there is no plan for how they will be spent, as they just received word of the award.