The South Alabama Regional Airport Authority this week heard from its executive director about upcoming plans for improvements at the airport.

Jed Blackwell told board members that SARA has closed out the fiscal year 2016 project and that the airport was now 100 percent fenced around the perimeter.

He said that the gates were up, as well.

Blackwell said they are getting ready to apply for a Federal Aviation Administration grant to fix the intersection bump on runway 29.

The project will consist of milling the existing surface on each side of the bump.

The estimated cost to fix the bump is $183,000.

$164,700 will come from FAA; with a local matching portion for a little more than $9,000. The rest will come from the Department of Transportation.

SARA will advertise for bids on this project beginning June 5, with a June 15 deadline.

For fiscal year 2018, Blackwell said airport personnel are working to secure funding to resurface a portion of the heliport area that hasn’t been upgraded since 1984.

The question is whether they can get the funding since the FAA doesn’t like to fund projects that aren’t general aviation in nature.