The Schuylkill County Commissioners will help the county’s airport authority pay back a loan taken out to fund the extension of the runway at Schuylkill County Airport.

The commissioners voted 3-0 this week to give the authority $44,264 to cover a loan payment due this month.

The $350,000 loan, taken out in 2018 and guaranteed by the commissioners, helped pay to extend the main runway at Schuylkill County Airport by 500 feet. Commissioner Gary Hess said the runway extension makes the airport more practical for jets owned by corporations who do business in Schuylkill county.

“This brings an opportunity for business in the county. Right across the street sits Highridge Business Park. A lot of their corporate people would like to fly in and make that convenient. Yeah it’s a convenience, but again it’s hopefully keeping those 3,500 jobs or more up there and intact,” Hess said.

The loan made up a small portion of the funding for the project. The Airport Authority received a $1.6 million grant for the project. In addition to guaranteeing the loan, the county contributed another $350,000.

Hess said the airport lost a major tenant at the beginning of the year. A replacement has since moved in, but they lost three months of revenue.

“They probably could have met their needs if they had that income there,” Hess said. “I still feel the importance of that airport to the future of Schuylkill County, the future of jobs right here.”

The extended runway was completed late last year. Airport officials said it is already making a difference, and they expect it to benefit the county for years to come.

“It’s already in play, and we’re just starting,” said Bill Willard, airport manager.

The extended runway is 5,100 feet. Corporate jets usually won’t land on a runway under 5,000 feet long, especially under poor weather conditions, Willard said.

Willard said the airport contributes to the overall economy of the county by providing a service for national companies who operate warehouses in Schuylkill County.

The tenants at the Highridge Business Park include Wegman’s, Lowe’s, Walmart and Tyson Foods.

Willard said that when the county backed the loan, it was understood that the airport would likely need help making the payments. But the investment in infrastructure will benefit the county for years to come, he said.

“We really have something here,” he said. “The I-81 corridor is getting very busy. And we have developable land for more hangars, more business, you name it. The only limit is the imagination,” he said.