City Commission Approves Air Prop Renovation Project
By: Shelia Mader
The Marianna City Commission approved a request authorizing Melvin Engineering to provide engineering design and construction engineering inspection services for the City of Marianna’s Air Prop Specialist Project at the Marianna Municipal Airport.
City Manager William Long presented the request to the commission during a recent meeting, explaining that the project is tied to a Rural Infrastructure Fund grant awarded to the city for improvements to the Air Prop Specialist facility, which operates inside a city-owned building at the airport.
Long said the city partnered with David Melvin Engineering and Company in applying for the grant, which will fund significant upgrades to the aging structure.
“We applied for a rural infrastructure grant from the state to make improvements and modifications to the Air Prop Specialist building,” Long said. “That’s actually our building, but they’re located in that space. They redo props for airplanes and have for probably 20, 25, or 30 years out there.”
According to Long, the building dates back to the World War II era and is in need of substantial renovations and infrastructure improvements.
Planned work for the project includes HVAC upgrades, sprinkler system improvements, water and sewer infrastructure work, and restroom upgrades. The engineering services approved by the commission will cover project design as well as construction engineering and inspection services connected to implementation of the grant.
Long said city staff reviewed work authorization number 2026-2 and recommended approval of Melvin Engineering for the project.
Commissioners also discussed whether Air Prop Specialist would be forced to suspend operations or vacate the building while construction is underway. Long indicated that is not expected to happen.
“I don’t think so,” Long said when asked if the business would have to leave the building during the project. “The plant does not have to stop working.”
City officials indicated the work would likely be completed in phases, potentially dividing construction into separate sections of the building in order to allow the business to continue operating throughout the renovation process.
Following discussion, Commissioner Hamilton made a motion to approve the request, describing it as the “Air Prop reconstruction.” The motion received a second and was approved 5-0 by the board.
