Airport is part of the Seneca-Clemson growth spurt

The Oconee Regional Airport seems busier. The days of the airport being little more than an airstrip in a rural part of the county seems to be gone forever. And the manager, Jeff Garrison, last night offered a couple of theories. The championship-winning era of the Clemson football team has increased the volume of air traffic during Clemson home football weeks. But there’s another factor, in Garrison’s estimation. And that is, “A lot of people want to live here, now.” Garrison spoke last night at the county aeronautics commissioners received reports on the completion of another season for pilots and passengers using the airport to reach Clemson home games, as well as the expected start in January of work to re-locate part of the nearby Mount Nebo Church Road to ensure greater safety for air traffic. During this year’s football home season, according to commission chairman Randy Renz, the airport sold $230 thousand worth of aviation fuel, including 12 thousand gallons of fuel during the Texas A&M game weekend. Once arrived, fans headed from the airport to Memorial Stadium had the option of paying $20 dollars a head for a shuttle system that delivered them to the stadium. Once again, the airport relied on a system of air traffic controllers using a portable control tower to guide traffic to and from the airport. Manage Garrison was asked last night if there will come a day that the local airport will require a permanent control tower. He doesn’t think the needs will ever be great enough for that and, he actually, would like to keep the airport without a permanent control tower because of the changes that a tower would require. During all of this season’s game weekends, planes flew in and out without any major mishaps or injuries.