Airport Authority approves land sale for new THP headquarters

JACKSON, Tenn. — A meeting of the Jackson-Madison County Airport Authority board ended, Monday, with decisions that could soon mean a change to the landscape around McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport in west Madison County.

Board members approved selling an additional 10 acres of land near the airport to the state.  The plot is located beside the land already purchased by the state for a new crime lab for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.  It would be used for a new headquarters for the Jackson District of the Tennessee Highway Patrol.  The THP’s current office is located at the intersection of Vann Drive and North Highland Avenue in north Jackson.  The proposed price of the land is $13,500 per acre.

Executive Director of the Airport Authority, Steve Smith, said the state has already talked with the Division of Aeronautics in Nashville about the proposed use for the land, which has been approved.  He went on to say, “So once the city and county sign off on it, then it will go the FAA for final approval.”

It’s unclear when the measures will go before the Jackson City Council and Madison County Commission.

During the meeting, the Airport Authority Board members also voiced approval for the Madison County Fire Department’s plan for a new EMS building in the area.