DUNBAR TWP. — The Fayette County Airport Authority discussed acquiring new hangars to replace the existing structures that are more than 60 years old and in bad condition.

At Tuesday’s meeting, authority chairman Terry “Tuffy” Shallenberger said the Joseph A. Hardy-Connellsville Airport has a beautiful, new terminal building and is in the midst of a major runway project. However, he said the existing hangars are dilapidated and ruin the look of the entire airport.

“We’ve got this beautiful place, and when you pull in here the first thing you see are these hangars,” Shallenberger said. “We’ve got to start looking for money to get new ones. This is the focal point.”

The majority of authority members agreed that new hangars are needed and that the authority should begin considering their options.

Authority members Myrna Giannopoulos, Jesse Wallace and Todd Radolec said that the existing hangars are eyesores and that many of them are beyond repair.

Authority member Fred K. Davis was the only person to voice some opposition in regard to replacing the hangars, asking if doing so would increase rental fees.

Shallenberger said he believes people would be willing to pay slightly more in rent to have a sturdy, safe building housing their airplanes instead of the existing hangars, many of which have large cracks and holes.

The authority asked engineer William S. Shiderly of Michael Baker Jr. Inc, the project manager overseeing improvements at the airport, if pre-engineered steel hangars could be purchased.

Shiderly said pre-engineered steel hangars can be purchased and that he would send them information regarding the proposed hangars. The authority also asked Shiderly to provide them with a cost estimate.

Fayette County Commissioners Vince Vicites and Vince Zapotosky attended Tuesday’s meeting and listened as authority members discussed the proposed hangar project.

Vicites said the airport is important to the future of Fayette County.  “Progress is what you need,” he said, adding that authority members should aggressively pursue all funding options and seek state and federal grants.

The commissioners have budgeted money for the airport in the past and airport manager Mary Lou Fast said she will again request money from the county.

The authority said it will pursue funding, and Shallenberger and Radolec were appointed to an executive committee responsible for moving the hangar project forward. The committee will report its findings to the authority.