To continue to make their presence known in the area, those with the Barnesville-Bradfield Airport went before the Belmont County Commission to discuss some upgrades to the facility and what’s to come in the future.

“The airport is a ground for economic growth,” said Jeff Britton, vice president, Belmont County Regional Airport Authority. “A lot of people don’t realize Belmont County has an airport.”

Those who work within the facility noted changes needed to be made, so they got ahead of the curve, and put an additional $3 million into the facility.

“We purchased about 50 acres west and worked with our engineering firm and consultants to design a new access road that meet FAA requirements,” Britton said.

The runway and the buildings surrounding it act as more than just a place to land and launch aircrafts. It’s improving different aspects of the county.

“These are companies that our utilizing aircrafts and helicopters to do their business, so they need a place to land, fuel, and house their aircrafts. The airport is very instrumental to providing infrastructure to that economic development,” Britton said.

A great opportunity to learn more about all the positives the airport offers would be at the Barnesville Airport Day (June 4, starting at 10 a.m.). Not only will the new upgrades be on display, but you can hear about others that are on the way.

“Our next focus is our hangers,” Britton said. “All of them are full. There’s a waiting list of pilots who want to rent hanger space. So therefor, our next focus is improving and expanding our hanger space.”