5/14/01

Bob Lowry

HUTTO NEW DIRECTOR OF AUBURN-OPELIKA ROBERT G. PITTS AIRPORT

AUBURN -- William T. Hutto Jr., who manages three airports along Florida's Space Coast area, has been named director of the Auburn-Opelika Robert G. Pitts Airport, effective Aug. 1, Jim Ferguson, vice president for administrative services at Auburn University, announced Monday.

Hutto will replace Todd Storey, who has been interim director of AU Aviation since the 1999 retirement of Jim Hendrick.

Hutto, who lives in Port St. John, Fla., has been the executive director of the Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority for seven years. He manages three airports with more than 500 based aircraft, 300,000 annual operations, a $1.5 million annual budget and a payroll of more than $500,000.

After earning his bachelor of science in aviation management from AU in 1990, Hutto earned his master of business administration in aviation from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., in 1992.

"We're very excited about appointing someone with Mr. Hutto's background and qualifications," said Ferguson. "His experience in successfully managing three airports was very attractive to us, and his Auburn background was also a plus."

Hutto will be joining the Auburn-Opelika Robert G. Pitts Airport at a time when major work is underway on a extension of the north-south runway and other major improvements at the university-owned facility.

The runway is being extended from 3,933 feet to 5,265 feet and widened it from 75 feet to 100 feet. When the project is completed, the longer runway will enable the airport to accommodate corporate jets that are too large to safely land on the airport's existing runways.

Besides providing a safer runway for aircraft serving Auburn, Opelika, Lee County and the university, the longer, wider runway is expected to be an economic recruiting tool for the area because many corporations use the larger aircraft.

The project will cost about $2.7 million, with 90 percent of the costs financed by the Federal Aviation Administration through taxes paid by aviation users. Local governments are sharing the remainder of the costs.

East Glenn Avenue was rerouted 1.2 miles around the south end of the airport to permit lengthening of the runway.

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CONTACT: Ferguson, 334/844-4190.