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CENTRE — State and local officials from Washington, D.C., Montgomery and Cherokee and Calhoun counties gathered last week in the new Harley McGatha Operations Building to formally dedicate the Centre-Piedmont-Cherokee County Regional Airport, on Highway 9 just south of town.

A crowd in excess of 300 people were on hand Oct. 14 to listen to remarks from, among others, Airport Authority Chairman James Beall, U.S. Congressman Mike Rogers, Dr. John Eagerton of the state Department of Transportation, Rep. Richard Lindsey and others.

"This airport is a vision that was ten years in the making," Beall told the crowd.
Rogers said he was proud of the airport and the effort it took to bring the project to a successful conclusion.

"This is the nicest airport you'll see anywhere in rural America," he said.

Eagerton praised the work of many who made the airport possible, including Beall.

"He was passionate about the airport," Eagerton said of Beall. "In the future, many airports will be constructed on the model of this one. It made sense to bring all the communities together. You should all be very proud."

The operations building was named after local construction company owner and licensed pilot Harley McGatha, who was killed in a plane crash in April 2009. He had been a member of the Airport Authority prior to his death.