Roswell council hears airport inspection findings and airshow preparations as parking and runway markings draw attention

Omar, an airport staff member, told the Roswell City Council the airport performed well on a recent inspection but received several findings specific to airfield fixtures and markings. He said inspectors noted missing bolts on airfield light fixtures, misaligned threshold lights that were corrected, and several taxiway and runway markings that need repainting. "They recommended that we go through every light that's out there on the airfield, replace the bolts that are missing," Omar said, and also recommended purchasing a torque machine to ensure bolts are torqued to spec.

The airport will schedule repainting of ferry taxiway markings (noted as Mike, Golf and Hotel) next fiscal year and has already begun targeted repairs. Omar described a separate operational issue: increasing demand at the airport air center parking lot has led to overflow into grass areas. He said staff will explore adding parking using nearby lots or material hauled from Highway 70 millings to create an improved lot.

The council also heard operational metrics. Omar reported United Airlines figures for the most recent month: 1,740 departures and 1,869 arrivals (noted as roughly 56% of previous comparative figures), and said passenger counts are rising. He reported the airport concession (bar and grill) earned about $11,264.80 in May, up from prior months, and tied some of the increase to full beverage sales at the concession.

Separately, Mr. Collins, representing airshow organizers, briefed the council on event coordination. He described university and airport coordination for the STEM program and partner reimbursements for parking. Collins said organizers plan to reimburse the city and university for parking areas they use and expect between 110 and 120 aircraft to participate. He said ticketing has grown steadily but may accelerate once final race lineups are announced; organizers are exploring a local discount (around 2025%) for Roswell-area residents through retail partners.

What happens next: airport staff will inventory and repair fixtures, plan repainting work for the coming fiscal year, and return to council with recommended parking options and cost estimates when those are developed.