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While there have been plenty of changes during the last several decades at the Jefferson County Airpark, there also have been many constants.
Among those has been the work of Geary A. Bates, whose efforts were recognized on Jan. 21 when the Jefferson County commissioners renamed the airport in his honor.
Bates is an original member of the county's Regional Airport Authority whose volunteer work has been instrumental in helping transform the facility from what was little more than a country airstrip located off Fernwood Road into a full-service airport capable of handling private jets as well as other general aviation aircraft and serving as a regional base for STAT MedEvac.
Bates always has been an hands-on volunteer, and never has shied away from jumping onto a piece of equipment or climbing a ladder and doing what was necessary to complete a project.
Thanks to his efforts -- and the vision of members of the airport authority -- the airport has became a key part of the region's economic growth strategy. Its runway has been lengthened to 5,000 feet and widened. Larger fuel tanks have been installed. Improvements to the lighting systems have been made. A new terminal building and new hangars have been constructed.
Land around the terminal is being used as well, by local businesses and the Jefferson County Animal Shelter.
Its location has helped to make the airport a destination for regional corporate and business travel, offering lower costs for fuel and other amenities. Precision approach equipment and the installation of an automated weather observation system will make the facility easier and safer for pilots to use.
While the airport, like all businesses, has been affected by COVID-19, numbers from 2019 show the facility should be poised for further growth as the economy rebounds. The airport recorded about 7,000 flights that year and sold more than 58,000 gallons of jet fuel.
That's good for our area, and it's been made possible thanks to the work of the commissioners, the airport authority and volunteers like Bates. Add it all together, and it makes the newly renamed Geary A. Bates Jefferson County Airpark a fitting honor for a job well done.