PCAA retain Tibbitts through 2016, seeks transfer of county-owned acreage

Paulding Airport Authority (PCAA) voted during a called September session held last week to retain Terry Tibbitts as airport director through January 18.
Tibbitts remains among candidates under review by the Airport Authority’s board for the permanent position, but that process is stifled by a lack of revenue to pay the position full-time. Authority board members at last week’s session endorsed Tibbitts’ efforts since taking over and unanimously approved the extension of his contract. Tibbitts has been guiding operations at Silver Comet Field since June.
According to Airport Chairman Calvin Thompson, who spoke during last week’s meeting, the PCAA are not currently in a position financially to hire a full-time director. Thompson told a reporter the airport board wants to hire a full-time director but can’t depend on having future income derive from such sources as rental from corporate jet storage to pay a full-time person.
Tibbitts had served since May as the airport’s liaison to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which regulates and provided much of the funding to build Silver Comet Field in 2007. The Paulding County Airport Authority then hired Tibbitts to a three- month contract as interim director to take over from former director Blake Swafford, who left in May.
Also during last week’s meeting the PCAA voted to pass a resolution making official their support of the 2014 Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) between the county and the airport authority and also asking that a specific clause in the agreement be complied with dealing with 163 acres at the airport site not presently deeded to the airport, and asking that it be turned over to the PCAA from the county.
Tibbitts explained the reason for the resolution in response to a request for additional background from board member and Paulding Chamber of Commerce Interim President Mike Mason. Mason took over from Carolyn Wright, who retired in May.
According to Tibbitts some functioning area of the airport that incorporates a section of the runway is not owned by the PCAA. If airport officials chose at some point to add a hangar or maintenance building on that property, for example, they currently would not be deeded to do so, he said.
“I asked that we put that on there; I just want us to go on record that we support all the clauses of the IGA, including this one,” Tibbitts said.
But while the PCAA were free to vote on and document their support of the IGA, any further action by either Paulding’s Board of Commissioners or the PCAA would depend on the resolution of litigation involving the airport that is ongoing, advised Tom Cable, counsel to the Airport Authority. “There is a contingent in one of the lawsuits that I have a conflict on, so I can’t give a whole lot of thought on it, Cable told the board. “But it wouldn’t preclude you from doing a resolution, which is on your agenda...” he said.
Tibbitts told Paulding Commissioners in July there are “....half a dozen legal actions over the Part 139.” The ‘139’ certification is associated with approval to add limited commercial service to Silver Comet Field.
In terms of the airport itself Tibbitts has stated that he felt Paulding’s Silver Comet Field could compete as an aviation airport since other metro airports McCollum and DeKalb-Peachtree are at their capacity.
The resolution as stated on the agenda passed 4-1, with Hiram Mayor Teresa Philyaw casting the one dissenting vote.

Terry Tibbitts,Terminal building at Silver Comet Field (Photo: submitted)