South Shore Foundation Assists Marion County Regional Airport with Grant
April, 1999

South Shore Foundation, the charitable arm of Northern Arkansas Telephone Company, has granted $10,000 to the Marion County Regional Airport, according to Betty Barker Smith, South Shore trustee and NATCO vice president. The grant was approved at the first quarterly meeting of the South Shore Foundation Board of Trustees.

Marion County Regional Airport Board Chairman John Dyess said the $10,000 contribution would go toward matching an Arkansas Aeronautics Department grant of $100,000. The funds are made available on a 75/25 fund sharing basis, he said. The funds will be used to extend the runway from 4,100 feet to 5,000 feet.

A longer runway will raise the airport's classification to a B-II+ status, Dyess said, and would enhance both the safety and use by larger aircraft. He also said when the two neighboring regional commercial airports in Harrison and Mountain Home are closed for weather, the Marion County Regional Airport remains clear and open. With the additional runway footage, the airport at Flippin could provide an effective alternative destination, according to Dyess.

"South Shore trustees are pleased to assist the airport at Flippin with this funding because we believe it will enhance the economic well-being of our area. We join the board of directors of the Marion County Regional Airport in working toward economic development," Smith said. This is the second $10,000 grant awarded by the South Shore Foundation to the airport at Flippin.

South Shore Foundation, founded in 1996, works to promote economic  development in the area served by NATCO in Marion, Boone, and Carroll counties, and funds projects that use telecommunications technology to enhance education, environmental preservation and community betterment.