“It’s a great day in the City of Russellville,” said Mayor David Grissom, his signature line, to welcome to those attending the ribbon cutting at Russellville Municipal Airport Saturday morning. The day’s festivities celebrated the grand reopening of the airport following necessary maintenance.

“The project has taken a couple of months,” explained Emily Evans, manager of Explore Aviation, the management company for the airport. “These are important upgrades for safety. It took some time to secure funding and arrange everything.”

Grissom detailed the Runway Revitalization Project, coming in at $3,151,241.49, including new runway paving and striping as well as new LED lighting.

“Thank you to the entire team that made this happen,” added Grissom.

Festivities included a fly-in and pancake breakfast for local pilots, followed by a ribbon cutting, free hamburgers and hotdogs and the chance to look at an array of aircraft up close.

Other activities included TVA aircraft showcases, rides and demonstrations, as well as a bit of racing.

Additional aspects of the revitalization project included new drains for the drainage system, a necessary measure to ensure the water runs off the runway correctly. Evans said runway resurfacing started around the middle of April and wrapped up in mid-June.

“We had an amazing turnout today, and we’re so thankful to all those who helped make today possible,” Evans said. “We had around 25 aircraft and approximately 300-400 people from at least three states. We’re looking forward to continued growth for Russellville, Franklin County and northwest Alabama.”

For more information about the airport, call 256-331-9000 or visit the Facebook page.