Airport receives $3 million grant

AUGUSTA

Augusta Regional Airport (AGS) is the recipient of a $3 million Airport Terminal Program (ATP) grant. The ATP is part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). It is a five year 5-Billion-dollar competitive discretionary grant program aimed at infrastructure enhancements at our nation’s Airports. One of the goals of the program is to help meet the growing demand of air travel and invest in airport improvements.

According to airport media reports this money will be used to help fund a portion of the Airport’s Terminal Gates 3 & 4 Rehabilitation/Expansion Project. The AGS project was one of 104 selected from 99 airports. The primarily goal of this project is to reconfigure two terminal aircraft gates to install passenger boarding bridges in lieu of ground board- ing (walking outside). AGS currently has operational passenger boarding bridges at two of six aircraft gates.

“We are extremely grateful for the federal support and thank all those who worked and advocated for us.”

Said Mr. Herbert L. Judon Jr. Airport Executive Director. “These funds will provide for a large portion of the construction of our Terminal Improvement Project. Once complete, we will add extra square footage, new amenities, and two additional passenger boarding bridges. This very important endeavor will further modernize our terminal facility, increase functionality, and significantly enhance the customer experience.” which is to say that Johnson’s cozying up with Brian Kemp might pay dividends sooner rather than later.

The Airport is slated to begin the terminal construction in mid-summer 2023 and it is projected for completion in the first quarter of 2024.

What does it all mean for Augusta?

The answer is complicated.

For starters, it’s a sign that the politics of consolidation that have defined Augusta for decades are outdated. Certainly, the racial angst in Augusta politics is as relevant as ever, but the assumption that we can solve that angst with a 50-50 split trivializes the realities of Black politics and Augusta’s mostly Black constituents. Political affiliations are less important in a city where residents get the short end of the stick, regardless of whether a politi- cian leans Democrat or Republican. Believe it or not, politics is more about what you do than what you say. This fact is lost on many of us because of the power of political rhetoric. With that said, when mayors choose to engage in power grabs for votes or fuss about fleet vehicles, it shows they are largely unserious about serving the people.

Johnson’s power play might not create a “strong mayor” form of government, but it does send a message about what the next few years will look like. And for the record, the strongest mayors leave a legacy of service, not one of selfishness.