Apr 24, 2018 2 min read

WAYNESBURG – Work to develop a business park at Greene County Airport was restarted earlier this month as plans move forward to complete the entire project by August.

The contractor on the final phase is now building the new access road in front of the airport administration building and a parking lot on property on the east side of the building.

The airport business park project has been in the works for numerous years and is aimed at opening airport property fronting Route 21 to commercial development.

Work on the final phase was expected to begin earlier this spring.

“With the weather, they got a few weeks behind, but we’re hoping by August to be done with everything,” Greene County chief clerk Jeff Marshall said.

When bids were opened for the final phase last spring, the county had expected the project to be finished in the fall. However, some changes had to be made in the engineering design, Marshall said.

Work on the final phase could have started last fall, he said, but the county didn’t want to proceed and then see the project delayed by winter weather, especially with the amount of excavation work that had to be done.

The business park project, which has been ongoing since about 2010, has included construction of a new, four-way intersection on Route 21 at Murtha Drive for the new airport entrance; and construction of a road to the west of the entrance leading to the three, two-acre lots available for commercial development.

The project also included the demolition of four old airplane hangars, which sat in the area that will be available for commercial development, and the construction of a new, larger hangar several years ago.

The county has not yet found tenants for the three parcels, though the commissioners have said repeatedly they hope at least one of the tenants will include a sit-down restaurant.

The project has been estimated to cost about $4.5 million. Most of the money for the work has come from grants, with the county kicking in money to cover the required grant matches, Marshall said.

As the project was conceived, money received from leasing the three commercial parcels will provide a stable revenue stream to help fund airport operating costs.