Premier brings quarter-million dollars for Digby airport

Prior to the meeting, the premier presented Municipality of Digby warden Jim Thurber and deputy warden Jimmy MacAlpine with a cheque for $250,000 for the Digby Municipal Airport. Also in attendance for the presentation was Richard Hurlburt, minister of energy, and Mike Gushue, executive director of the Annapolis-Digby Economic Development Agency. “It was a surprise to me,” said Thurber, adding that the funding was most welcome. “We see that airport has many economic development benefits for the whole region.”

For MacAlpine, the presentation indicated the government’s sensitivity to the situation of rural communities. “The province had some funds left over,” he said. “They felt that the rural municipalities don’t have the opportunity to tap into funding too often.”

The $250,000 is a one-time contribution from the province to be used as the municipality sees fit. The municipality has been making improvements to the airport, including installing three-phase power last fall, and is looking into obtaining T-hangers for aircrafts.

Thurber noted that events like the air rally in Digby held last summer have helped to increase the airport’s visibility. “As we can up that visibility, it has potential for, say, tourism packaging.”