Grant & Loan Awards: Taylor County

AIRGeorgia funds to Taylor County Airport Authority, along with Taylor County Board of Commissioners, to extend Butler Municipal Airport's runway from 4,000 feet to 5,000 feet. Additional improvements include installation of blast pads, turnarounds and Precision Approach Path Indicators at both ends of the runway and to install a new electrical vault, automated weather observing system and rotating beacon. The improvements will allow the airport to capitalize on the economic development activities in the region including the new locations of AFLAC and KIA, the expansion of Fort Benning (11,000 new jobs expected over the next five years due to relocation of Maneuver School) and the planned construction of the Fall Line Freeway which will intersect at Highway 19 in Taylor County. All of these activities are occurring within a 60-mile radius of the airport.

Equity funds for expansion of the Technology and Workforce Development Center in Butler. Equity funds would be used for the construction of an additional 8,350 square feet to be used for classrooms and two storage rooms, a small conference room and a technical lab.

E 9-1-1 funds to assist with the construction of a regional E 9-1-1 center, including the purchase of dispatching and radio equipment as well as parking and fencing to serve the 81,365 residents of these seven Tier 1 and Tier 2 counties. The center will be centrally located in the city of Ellaville, Schley County. This will be the largest E 9-1-1 service area in Georgia, covering twenty-eight jurisdictions. Counties: Dooly, Macon, Marion, Schley, Sumter, Taylor, Webster. Total Residents: 81,365

Equity funds to assist in the construction of a 19,244 SF Columbus Regional Technology Center, a small business incubator focused on technology innovations. Partnering with Columbus State University, the Center, will nurture and assist startup technology companies with high growth potential. The center, with 8 incubator sites, will provide facilities and networking opportunities to startups seeking to establish a market presence in the 7-county Valley Partnership Region (Chattahoochee, Harris, Marion, Muscogee, Stewart, Talbot, Taylor.)

Equity funds to complete an industrial access road to serve a new manufacturing company and future companies locating in a new 1,000-acre mega site.