Is football season the right time to close airport runway?

“Why do we want to push that over to Anderson?”  The question was asked Tuesday night by Oconee County resident Mickey Haney.  He was questioning why September 12, for a 60 to 90-day period, was chosen as the start of the temporary closing of the runway at the Oconee Regional Airport.  The college football season will have been two weeks old at the time, and the Clemson home games create the busiest period for the Oconee airport.  Haney fears a lot of the air traffic will divert to the Anderson airport.  However, Oconee officials say this fall, before the winter temperatures set in, is the time to take advantage of a federal grant to repave the runway, including the taxiway.  The project is focused on the existing aging pavement and its deterioration.