NORWICH – The Chenango County Board of Supervisors has authorized an agreement for the engineering design of a taxiway lighting system and a new beacon at the Lt. Warren E. Eaton airport in Norwich.

The agreement to enter a design contract with CHA, Inc. of Syracuse for planning services for the design of taxiway lighting and a rotating beacon was unanimously approved at the April meeting of the county board of supervisors. The airport - currently without a taxiway lighting system - was eligible for grants through the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which will pay 90 percent of the total cost of the $49,950 project.

The remaining cost of the project will be paid by a five percent contribution from New York State and another five percent paid through the interest of a trust fund left to the county by Lt. Warren E. Eaton. A recent report of the trust fund showed the portfolio value was approximately $550,250 at the end of 2012.

Although the expense to install taxiway lighting and upgrade the 15-year-old beacon at the airport is a hit to the trust fund, which county officials rely on to keep the facility operational, it is a worthwhile investment, according to County Board Chairman Lawrence Wilcox.