Moore County Airport will receive a $1 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to complete ongoing projects.

The office of Congressman Howard Coble announced Tuesday that the FAA grant of $1,087,104 has been approved for use in land acquisition, easement acquisition and obstruction removal.

Airport Executive Director Gary Barnum said the grant will be used to cover existing projects and will not involve any expansion or new property acquisitions.

"This is grant money earmarked for projects already in the works to try to offset some of the safety issues in relationship to the runway," Barnum said.

Moore County is one of three regional airports in the 6th congressional district that received more than $8 million in FAA grants, according to a news release from Coble's office.

"We want to thank Congressman Coble for his efforts and assistance in expediting the funding for our projects here in Moore County," Barnum said.

Barnum said the grant represents routine funding for which the Airport Authority had previously applied. The grant will be transferred to Moore County through the Aviation Division of the N.C. Department of Transportation.

"Our airports are critical components of the economy throughout the 6th District," Coble said in a statement. "As a member of the Aviation Subcomnmittee, our office works closely with local airport officials to provide them with support from Washington."

FAA grants finance 95 percent of the projects undertaken at the airport, and the county and the state share the remaining 5 percent.

AMENDMENT -- The rules and procedures of the Subdivision Review Board (SRB) have been amended to permit participating departments to appoint alternates to serve as voting members at SRB meetings.

County Planning Director Joey Raczkowski told the Moore County Board of Commissioners that the old rules led to quorum issues on occasion because members cannot always attend meetings.

Raczkowski said the proposed amendment merely changes the language to allow department heads to appoint a deputy to represent that department or agency at official meetings.

The commissioners gave unanimous approval to the change at their Sept. 15 meeting.

The SRB is the body that studies information on subdivision applications and makes decisions based on technical requirements for developments. Departments represented on the board include Planning, Environmental Health, N.C. Department of Transportation, Public Utilities, Emergency Services, Moore County Schools and Parks and Recreation.

PROHIBITION -- Congressman Howard Coble has introduced legislation to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the repeal of the constitutional amendment establishing prohibition of alcohol consumption in the United States.

Coble, a Republican, is joining Congressman Bart Stupak, a Michigan Democrat, in co-sponsoring "a House concurrent resolution celebrating 75 years of effective state-based alcohol regulation and recognizing state lawmakers, regulators, law enforcement officers, the public health community, and industry members for creating a workable, legal and successful system of alcoholic beverage regulation, distribution and sale."

The 18th Amendment prohibiting alcohol was passed in 1919 and was repealed in 1933 with ratification of the 21st Amendment, which restored control of alcohol to the states.

Contact Florence Gilkeson at 947-4962 or by e-mail at florence@thepilot.com.