NORWICH – Chenango County officials are bearing some unanticipated costs associated with recent improvements to the Lt. Warren Eaton Airport in Norwich.

Members of the County Board of Supervisors hesitantly approved this week that nearly $9,000 be paid for a FAA flight inspection of the airport’s approach path.

According to local officials, the inspection fulfills FAA requirements that were put in place due to the county’s recently finished obstruction removal project during which dozens of trees around the airport were cut, making the approach path safer and more visible for incoming flights.

The half-million dollar tree cutting project entailed trimming or removing trees on approximately 10 acres of land surrounding the county-owned airport. Many trees, most of which were on private property, had grown tall enough to obstruct pilots’ view of the runway and, in accordance with FAA regulations, limit runway use to daytime hours only.