Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

LANETT — The Lanett City Council approved a resolution Tuesday to engage Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, Inc. to conduct an environmental assessment for a new entrance road to the Lanett airport. The resolution was approved in a unanimous vote of the council at Monday evening’s meeting. Such an assessment is necessary before any decisions can be made on a road-building project.

An environmental assessment is a study required to establish all the impacts either positive or negative about a proposed project. It will consist of a technical evaluation, economic impact and social results the project will bring.

There will likely be some wetlands mitigation should the new road be built.

City officials are looking at building a new access road toward the airport terminal, either directly from Phillips Road or from the road leading to Norbord.

The Chambers County Commission is also backing the construction of a new road and has agreed to provide up to $80,000 in funding for the study.

“I want to thank Commission Chairman Sam Bradford and members of the commission for their support,” said Mayor Kyle McCoy. “I think this new road would be a win-win for both the city and the county.”

Valerie Gray, executive director for the Chambers County Development Authority, was present at the meeting and expressed her support for a new road.

“It will open up business opportunities near the new terminal,” she said.

The city also owns several hundred acres of land between the new airport runway and I-85.