Cleveland Verdin
May 26, 2008
Dr. Charles "Chuck" Binford
May 28, 2008The Harry P. Williams Memorial Airport in Patterson is receiving $498,000 in Federal Aviation Administration funding to complete the third and final phase of a project to improve the airfield’s drainage system.
Dryness caused by lower-than-normal rainfall over the past several years has opened Volkswagen-sized holes in the safety zone, the area provided in case aircraft veer off the runway, said airport manager Ken Perry.
New culverts and pipes will be laid to improve drainage, which is directed toward the east. Water flows under the runway, then through bayous to the Intracoastal Waterway.
Work on the first two phases took place on both sides of the runway. Work on the third phase will occur farther east.
The airport has a 5,400-foot concrete runway accommodating aircraft up to 100,000 pounds and a 5,400-foot asphalt taxiway.
The facility also has a 4,500-foot long, 6-foot deep seaway used by seaplanes.
Ninety percent of the cost of the airfield improvements is funded by the federal Department of Transportation. The state and St. Mary Parish are funding the remainder of the cost, which is a standard funding mechanism, Perry said.
