Foley Contracts For Airport Improvements, New Public Works Building

The City of Foley has announced a $1.2-million project to improve the taxiway and add more needed hangar space at the Foley Municipal Airport. The city council voted to approve the bid of S.C. Stagner Contracting, Inc. of Chunchula to build the taxi lane and an eight-unit T-hangar. The council also voted to accept $531,000 in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to pay some of the costs of the project. The remaining costs will be paid out over the next three years and supplemented with additional funding from FAA and ALDOT. The Foley Airport has approximately 100 applicants on a waiting list for hangar space. Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the city is working to provide more space and applying for additional funding to expand facilities. “It’s not to create some giant terminal for commercial traffic,” Hellmich added. “It’s basically to update and modernize our facilities, because they’re out of date. Additionally, the Foley City Council recently voted to approve the bid for the first portion of a new public works building to be constructed at the intersection of Poplar Street and Section Avenue. Ammons & Blackmon Construction submitted the lowest of three bids with a $3.65-million proposal. Mayor Ralph Hellmich said the current Public Works facilities are too small for current needs and that the new campus will provide more space for the department that will be needed as Foley continues to grow. He added that the new location will also be more convenient and provide more covered storage space for vehicles and other equipment, while the current Public Works campus will continue to be used by other city departments. The facility will be designed and built to meet the current and expected future needs of the city at a total estimated cost of $10.8 million.