ARDMORE, Okla. (AP) — The Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission has voted to close the Lake Murray State Park Airport — despite possibly having to repay up to $184,000 in federal grants awarded under a requirement that the airport remain open until 2027.
The commission voted 6-0 Thursday to close the airport. Commission Director Victor Bird says only that shutting the airport down is "the right thing to do."
Bird says the commission has transferred the grant money to airports in Ardmore, Muskogee and Duncan that have greater use.
The Oklahoma Tourism Department has said it would like to see the airport closed in order to use the runway area as a new entrance into the adjacent Lake Murray Golf Course.