The Cluster

The 8th annual pottery exhibition and sale came to Macon to host the “Fired Works” exhibit.
Fired Works, the South’s largest pottery exhibition and sale, lasted nine days from April 13-21 was located in the Round Building in Central City Park.
Other special events took place, such as “Clay in the Classroom” workshops, “Pickin’ & Pottery”, “Cocktails and Clay”, clay workshops for children and teens and many more.
A special preview party was held on Friday, April 12 with food and live music.
The exhibit featured over 6,000 pottery pieces, along with their artists and the inspiration behind their creations.
At least 50 artists attended the event with their work, many of whom came from areas around Georgia.
Some of these cities include Farmington, Bishop, Waleska, Tucker, Barnesville and Marietta.
This event brought new artists, as well as tourists, to the area.
Two of the artists in attendance were Boyce and Cameron Covert.
“This is the eighth year that I’ve been a part of this event, and I love being able to participate in the community,” said Boyce Covert.
“Displaying my work and being able to spend time with friends is always a joy.”
A resident of North Carolina, Connie Haynie, heard about the event in Athens and decided to travel to Macon in order to witness the exhibit for herself.
She said the number of pieces was a major difference that sets this event apart from others.
While most of the artists had previously participated in this event, 20 new artists participated for the first time, including Juana Gnecco of Athens, Roger Jamison of Juliette and Barry Gregg of Decatur.
Heather Wakefield, the Fired Works curator, said the event brings artists from all over the state to Central Georgia to see a variety of pieces that have all been made into something special, considering each piece came from the same material.
She also went on to say that each year the exhibit grows larger, with this year being the largest to date.
Wakefield is a former student of Cameron Covert.
Covert has taught ceramics at the University of West Georgia for 35 years in Carrollton, Ga.
“By participating in this event it allows me to see other works of clay and meet new people,” said Covert.
Jan Beeland, the Executive Director of the Macon Arts Alliance, said she’s extremely thrilled to have this event take place in Macon, and this has been the biggest event yet.
The purpose of Fired Works is to offer a platform for artists and to promote the rich history of pottery in Central Georgia.
Fired Works is a program of Macon Arts Alliance and is supported by numerous sponsors and community partners.
To learn more about the annual Fired Works event, visit http://www.firedworksmacon.com.

Bibb County features several popular shopping areas. However, only a few short years ago, the most impressive shopping center in the district, and possibly in the county, was the Macon Mall.
The Macon Mall was overall a successful shopping area for many years until the late 2000s brought trouble, sending the shopping center spiraling downward, losing many of its businesses.
Two primary reasons associated with the decline of the Macon Mall, include the widespread rumors about a large gang presence at the mall and the opening of the Shoppes at River Crossing, an outdoor mall in north Macon, in March 2008.
However, all hope is not lost, as new management took over the mall in 2010 and is looking to improve the mall in a substantial way, working to make it more secure, enjoyable and convenient.
The Macon Mall opened in July of 1975 with 950,000 sq. ft. and four anchor stores, replacing Westgate Mall down the street.
In 1997, the mall reached its greatest size and capacity, adding more upscale businesses, two major anchor stores, Parisian and Dillard’s, and a two-story food court..
Many Macon natives have fond memories spanning from when the Macon Mall opened in the 1970s through its transformation into the fourth largest mall in Georgia in the early 2000s.
“Back in my Mercer days, it was the only place to shop and was twice the size it is now,” said Mercer alumna (2002-2006), Kate Miller.
“[The mall] was one of the highlights for me about moving to Macon. The mall felt very safe…[it] was organized so that shops appealing to similar clientele were all close to each other,” Miller continued.
However, the businesses are not the only aspect of the mall treasured by mall-goers of the past.
Many Macon citizens remember a time when the mall often held fun family events, such as the indoor car shows, choral groups, and fashion shows including one featuring Edith Head’s line.
Certain features of Macon Mall’s past remain close to people’s hearts, such as the train car restaurant, Farrell’s Ice Cream parlor, the giant carousel, the four-plex movie theatre, Big Top Sandwich Shoppe and the arcade with video games like Pac-Man and Galaga.
Since the mall’s decline, most of the businesses that attracted people to the Macon Mall have either moved to another location, the majority to River Crossing, or simply closed down.
According to Bill Murphy, 57, a former employee of Atlanta mall developer Scott Hudgens and a Macon resident since 2011, “The day of the mall as a mecca is gone, as the cost is prohibitive for construction and maintenance of elaborate public spaces.”
Several shoppers still believe the surrounding area to be dangerous and crime-ridden and remain uncertain about mall security measures, despite the efforts of the new management.
“[Since 10 to 15 years ago], the mall has gotten a little worse,” said fifth-year Mercer senior, Chris Borroso.
“Kids were running around without parents, causing trouble. The crime got a lot worse, and people stuck to the peripheral shops.”
Others claim that along with the area’s reputation for crime, mall management is to be blamed for the fall of the shopping center.
Randy Kitchens, 55, who grew up in Macon, said, “Going to Macon Mall risks car vandalism or theft at the least. This is during daylight hours. To go at night is simply flirting with disaster…If I want to enjoy a nice mall, I have to leave Macon. Poor management and lack of security destroyed what was the old Macon Mall.”
The negative reputation the mall has gained in past years is furthered by the number of crimes people imagine occur at the mall.
However, according to Sgt. Mark Schultz of Bibb County Police, in his five years at Macon Mall, he has seen no crimes more serious than shoplifting.
“The mall is just as safe as any other place in Macon,” said Shultz.
Widespread rumors and urban legends involving gang initiations at Macon Mall have also circulated and frightened off many shoppers in past years.
However, since new mall management took over the building in September 2010, they have been working to renovate and bring life back to the Macon Mall.
The new management company, Hull Storey Gibson Comapanies LLC, bought the mall and began making changes almost immediately, decreasing the mall’s size in order to eliminate empty spaces and updating the décor to show some of Macon’s history.
Hull Storey Gibson have bought and managed over 15 malls in the South, from Texas to North Carolina, over the past 35 years.
In order to bring more business back to the Macon Mall, Hull Storey Gibson has brought in a popular barbeque restaurant, Smok’n Pig BBQ, in April 2012 and two new stores in October 2012, Dry Falls Outfitters and B. Turners.
Caitlyn DuCharme, a sophomore at Mercer and Macon resident, said “Compared to the last few years, it’s a definite improvement. I don’t necessarily feel safe, but the atmosphere is much nicer than it was two years ago.”
The new management has recently torn down the old Dillard’s building and plans to replace it with a grassy area with the potential of being redeveloped in the future. The demolition and landscaping should be completed early this summer.
Deputy Johnny Blash, a Macon Mall police officer since 2005, said “The current renovations and security measures are very good. Now, it’s a matter of word of mouth. People will start to realize the mall is now more family-centered. It used to be a hangout place for people not doing any shopping. But that has changed now. It’s time to have fun with pants pulled up and showing some respect for other shoppers.”
The new management has put a large focus on security at the Macon Mall, continued Blash. “It will thrive now. It’s the safest it’s been in a long time.”
According to Blash and Schultz, two uniformed officers are in the mall during the day, along with six security officers. At 6 p.m., four more Macon police officers join them for extra night security.
The mall has also posted rules and regulations for shoppers, including an age limit for single shoppers and a dress code.
Schultz’s prediction about the future of the Macon Mall is that “it might never go back to what it used to be, but the new owners have put in a lot of work, and it is much more secure now than ever before. It will probably get even better in the future.”

The 4th Annual Dragon Boat Festival, which took place last Sunday at Lake Tobesofkee, featured 12 teams representing various local organizations that competed against each other for first place honors.
With close to 100 spectators, each team was paired with another team and provided with a boat for the race.
Each team consisted of 15 members, making up seven pairs of rowers, and one captain.
Once lined up, the pairs of teams paddled from start to finish – a distance of about 100 yards marked off by buoys in the lake. The teams participated in two heats in the bracket and a finals round.
The Dragon Boat Festival is put on each year by the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, headed by the CEO of the Macon branch, Dianna Glymph.
The Big Brothers Big Sisters organization is a mentoring organization that provides adult mentors for youth who are at risk of juvenile delinquency or academic failure.
It offers programs based around pairing each student in the program with a mentor that acts as a stable adult figure who the child can view as a friend.
“We reach out to kids who just need that extra adult in their lives,” Glymph said. “Every child needs a caring adult in their life.”
The Dragon Boat festival is a fundraiser for the Big Brother Big Sister program, using all proceeds toward expanding the mentoring program.
“We saw something similar advertised on TV, and it looked like a lot of fun,” Glymph said. “We were looking for a unique event to bring to Macon. Not just another run or just another golf tournament. We wanted something that would get people out, and into the fresh air, and just something that would get people motivated to get outside during the spring and enjoy our resource at Lake Tobesofkee.”
Although the boat festival is fun at face value, this event offers another sort of value for the competitors, as well.
“What we found is that it has turned into a tremendous

team-building opportunity and exercise for members in our corporations. It’s really a team-building thing, as well as just helping the community,” said Glymph.
Competing against corporations such as Geico and Wells Fargo was Mercer University’s Mercer Asia team, lead by club president Mei Lin.
After hearing about the festival, members of the Mercer Asia club searched for the event online.
With little hesitation, they collected a set of rowers and signed up for the race. It was not Mercer Asia’s first time in a Dragon Boat race, as they have attended a similar event in Atlanta twice before.
At the end of the first heat, Mercer Asia placed third among the teams.
Mercer Asia’s future club leaders Raymond Ko and David Xiao have a strong desire to participate in future Dragon Boat Festivals, saying, “There’s no question about it. It’s our new tradition, and we’re sticking to it.”

Spring celebrations continue as this May marks the 157th birthday of the annual Georgia State Fair.
The fair will return to Macon’s Central City Park with a kickoff on May 2 and will be in town until May 5.
Macon became the host of the fair in 1851 and is known as one of the longest running fairs in the country.
The operation of the fair has changed hands over time, from the Macon Chamber of Commerce to the Exchange Club of Macon. The Exchange Club is credited with establishing its current support of local charities and community service.
Until one year ago, the Exchange Club had given approximately $4,100,000 in total to Macon’s charities and organizations from the revenue of the fair.
However, in recent years, the fair lost money during its operations, and its return for spring 2012 was threatened.
This was until Universal Fairs of Memphis, Tenn/. bought the fair from the Exchange Club with the intention of reviving its income and popularity, maintaining its annual appearance in Macon.
The company is very invested in the imppact of fairs and now Macon can continue its tradition because of the change in ownership.
Reid Shuping, Marketing Director of Universal Fiars, said,“Fairs benefit their communities through education-based initiatives, incorporating local involvement and providing a community event that is safe, clean and family friendly.”
With more organizational experience, Universal Fairs successfully expanded the fair, making it bigger with a heavier emphasis on live entertainment, such as musical and variety acts.
Since the change of ownership, the fair is expected to be bigger than in previous years, with several dozen food and commercial vendors, as well as amusement rides and attractions.
Some of the attractions expected this year include the NoJoes Circus, complete with clown acts, a trapeze artist, and a new trampoline routine.
For animal lovers, an all-day petting zoo will be featured along with the Marvelous Mutts, a dog sport team that showcases canine athletes performing activities from obstacle courses to musical routines.
To witness something truly bizarre, the Banana Derby will be an exciting attraction to attend, as the dog-riding-monkey-jockeys race their canine steeds around a course.
The fair will arrive in Macon just in time for Mercer’s finals week.
For the stressed college student, this lighthearted carnival experience could be a great way to unwind after the tension of final exams.
Clay Mote, freshman music major, anticipates the upcoming festivities.
“I’ve never been to this fair before, but I love any and all rides that are guaranteed to make the average person sick. It’s no roller coaster, but I know that’s where I’d head to first,” said Mote.
Lauren Parris, a Georgia State Fair veteran and a recent Mercer graduate, said, “I’m not a huge ride person, so my favorite attractions they have had in the past would have to be the animal shows and the fireworks shows. The fireworks shows really are spectacular.”
Admission into the fair for guests 13 and up will be $7.
For the student with little siblings, admission for children ages 5-12 is $5.
Ages four and under are admitted for free.
For more information about the Georgia State Fair in Macon, go to www.georgiastatefair.org.

On April 12, The National Trust for Scotland Foundation, USA and the Knight Fund for Macon of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia hosted the First Annual Scottish Heritage Festival at the Hay House, located on Georgia Avenue.
This event was also held with aid from the Freeman’s Auctioneers and Appraisers.
The Hay House has a Scottish heritage, as the Johnston family who built the house and the Hay family who gave the house to the Georgia Trust both had Scottish ancestry.
The Hay House is one of Macon’s historic houses.
The house was built in 1855-1859 by the Johnston family.
It was donated to the Georgia Trust by the Hay family in 1977.
The Hay House is one many historical places for students to visit if they are interested in touring Macon.
Complete with bagpipes, the First Annual Scottish Heritage Festival began with Senior Curator of the National Trust for Scotland Ian Gow speaking on the Brodick House.
The Brodick House rests on Isle of Arran and belonged to the Dukes of Hamilton for 400 years.
It passed into the ownership of the Scotland Trust after the passing of owner Duchess of Montrose in 1957.
The castle is now in need of help, like many other institutions, because of tightness in the economy.
Gow came to Macon from Edinburgh as a graduate of Trinity College Cambridge.
He became Curator of the National Trust for Scotland in 1998.
He manages a collection of over 50,000 works of art in 26 locations, including palaces and castles like Brodick.
“It was an invitation I could not refuse,” Gow said, regarding his invitation to speak at Macon’s First Scottish Heritage Festival.
“Macon is a very beautiful city, especially when it is spring and flowering. There is a richness of architecture as well.”
The speech was followed by a reception containing Scottish fare.
“Any Mercer student interested in architecture or history would be enlightened by a speaker of this caliber,”
Hay House Director Jonathan Poston stated. Poston was essential for planning the event, which was primarily created for the Macon community.
“The goal of this event is to celebrate the story of this house and to celebrate Scottish heritage,” Poston continued.
The National Trust for Scotland was founded in 1931.
The USA group of the National Trust for Scotland has donated $6.7 million in the 2000s.
Americans have helped to steward 129 properties. Both of these groups aim to support education about history and to support conservation of historical properties.
It is hoped that this event will be the first of many other events celebrating Scottish Heritage at the Hay House with other speakers and events.
The Scottish Heritage Festival hopes to encourage and grow in the Macon cultural community.
In addition to Scottish Heritage events, the Hay House is the home to many interesting events in Macon.
On April 28, the students of the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings will perform a Chamber Ensemble Concert including works by Mozart, Ginastera, Beethoven and more.

On Friday, April 5 from 7:30 to 10 p.m., the First Friday Dance was held at the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Every first Friday of the month people gather there to enjoy dancing. Various dances are taught including salsa, cha-cha, waltz and mamba. All the proceeds go to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
The dance program is meant to be a way to reach out to the Macon area.
From 7:30 to 8:15 p.m., a session on swing and jive dance was taught by a guest teacher, Julie Mulvihill, who has helped with the program before and soon will be moving to France. This time, she taught some East Coast Swing, which originated in the 1920s and involves some bounce and momentum. The dance was taught step by step and was easy for everyone to learn.
Each dancer practiced the dances as they learned them. The couples and people who attended thoroughly enjoy themselves. Some people danced, and some watched others dance. Some people were dressed in casual clothes, while others dressed in formal attire for the dance.
Paula East, cofounder of the First Friday Dance event, is an ambassador for the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame under the dance department. She is a professional dance consultant who teaches dance in the Macon area. She was 16 when she went into show business. She worked as a professional dancer and singer before she started to teach. She has been a professional dancer all her life and has traveled abroad to Europe. This is her third time coming back to Macon to teach, and she thoroughly enjoys it. East founded this event along with Ms. Dianne Kent.
The idea of the First Friday Dance is to promote dancing in the Macon area. Even dancers who compete in competitions come to the dance.
The event is open and catered to everyone from college students to senior citizens. East notes that the seniors usually out-dance the young people.
The dance draws a crowd of about 35 people each time. The group likes to introduce ballroom dancing to new people. Therefore, a wide variety of dancers attend, including the young and old, and beginners and professionals.
First Friday Dances have been going on for six years with an admission of $5. The 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. time slot is the complementary lesson. The 8:15 to 10 p.m. time slot is open to a variety of styles of dancing.
Kent, the other cofounder of the event, said they host other dances, as well. Greater Macon Dance Chapter of USA Dance and the Medical Center of Central Georgia sponsored a hospice group dance called “Stars Over Macon” in 2012. It was a benefit dance to help build Pine Points, a new hospice on Peak Road.
The First Friday Dance was created to help the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame stay open, according to Kent. With the proceeds going to the Sports Hall of Fame, the dance not only promotes dancing but the building it is located in.

Avondale graves found in road constructionThe Georgia Department of Transportation is receiving national recognition from the Federal Highway Administration for the department’s work relocating a forgotten slave burial ground near Sardis Church in South Macon.
The Federal Highway Association has presented the Exemplary Human Environment Initiatives Award to the GDOT in the category of Education and Training Programs.
Specifically, the award recognizes the GDOT “for developing a comprehensive strategy to educate the public on the discovery and relocation of a historic cemetery,” according to the Federal Highway Administration website.
The department’s work with the Avondale Burial Place was one of 13 projects to receive the award in 2012, and one of three to win in the Education and Training Programs category.
Since the Transportation Department’s discovery of the site, members of the department have worked to carefully exhume graves, take DNA samples, track down descendants of the deceased and uncover the history of the site.
They have also created a detailed website (www.avondaleburialplace.org) to inform the public about the archaeological process and the historical significance of the site, in addition to producing a documentary about the site—called “I Remember, I Believe”—with the Federal Highway Association and Georgia Public Broadcasting.
The documentary is scheduled to be shown at the Archaeology Channel’s International Film and Video Festival in May, according to the news page of the Avondale Burial Place website.
The department also compiled a substantial archaeological report about the care and relocation of the graves.
According to Sharman Southall, a historian at the GDOT who has worked on the project since its beginning in 2009, the department did not know about the burial ground until the final stages of its project to tie the Sardis Church Road interchange on I-75 with the Macon Airport.
Before the department broke ground on the road project—which, because of the grave project, is not under construction as of yet—a local told representatives he had heard of an old slave burial ground somewhere on the site of the proposed road.
Southall said when the department checked for evidence of the burial ground, they found no evidence of graves—no burial markers or depressions in the earth.
“[But] the man just spoke with so much conviction that there was a cemetery there,” Southhall said.
Prompted by the local’s certainty, the department began to look at the site with archaeology equipment and rescue dogs trained to find cadavers.
After a process called “stripping,” in which archaeologists take the first few layers of soil off a site, department representatives discovered the shapes of grave shafts.
“Of course, we didn’t really know the extent,” Southall said. “The thing about a burial is that you don’t really know what you have until you dig it up.”
What they had was 101 unmarked graves, containing “personal objects like wedding bands, necklaces, a coin purse, and combs” along with the human remains, according to the March 2013 FHWA newsletter.
Southall said the proposed road could not be moved due to other landmarks being in the way, but the department did not want to pave over graves.
To resolve the conflict, the department began an initiative to move the graves to a church near Byron, Ga.
According to Southall, the department placed the remains of each grave in small containers, “like caskets,” and moved them to the new location, where they were buried in the same layout they were found in.
She said this was so as not to break up family plots, if there were any, and also so that remains might be more easily identified if anyone were to come forward with more information about the graves.
Though the re-interring process has been completed, the department is open to approach by researches from academia.
According to a March 21 news release on the website, a Georgia State student is conducting research on the dust left in the graves.
“I wish we’d done that [engage with students] in the process of the recovery,” Southall said. “It would have been interesting for students to see.”
“I’ve actually got some of the films,” Southall added, referencing the footage taken during the recovery process. “I would love to get them in the hands of folks who could use them for academic purposes.”
For more information about the Avondale Burial Place and ways to engage, visit the website at avondaleburialplace.org.

The Georgia Department of Education recently received six letters of intent to establish charter schools in Bibb County. This wave of state charter school activity follows the ratification of Amendment 1 in the Georgia Constitution.
Amendment 1, sometimes called the Georgia Charter Schools Amendment, gives the state the right to grant permission in the commissioning of a charter school.
For people devoted to education, state-commissioned charter schools bring up a controversial debate. On the positive side of the spectrum, people see the state as bringing change in a failing district. Critics, however, oppose the state’s step toward privatization for charter schools.
Many residents of Bibb County and other districts where charter schools emerge misconceive basic concepts about the establishment and functioning of charter schools in general.
Charter schools choose to be public schools and operate under similar districting guidelines. They differ from state-funded public schools in that a group of individuals or groups from a community come together to found the school. These individuals write a charter for their particular school based on the needs present in the local community’s education system.
The community identifies an imperative education need and aims to accommodate this need in the charter, the formal document authorizing the school.
Dr. Margaret Morris, the Chair-Teacher of Education at Mercer University said a common myth concerning charter schools centers on their ability to do whatever they want. This myth is completely false. Although charter schools are not required to follow all state regulations, they must be in accordance with all federal regulations for public schools, especially those dealing with health and safety.
As a result of all the community confusion surrounding charter schools, the Georgia Charter School Association is giving residents of Bibb County an opportunity to learn more about how charter schools work.
The first of these opportunities will be an informational community meeting held on April 22 at Lundy Missionary Baptist Church from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The second opportunity will be April 25 from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. It is at the same location as the first meeting and is a workshop titled Charter Development 101.
Three basic structures of charter schools exist: conversion, where a school already in existence is reformed into a charter school; start-up, where the school does not exist prior to its founding of a charter, and state commissioned charter schools. The majority of charter schools in Georgia are start-up charter schools.
In Bibb County, the six charter schools’ letters of intent have been sent to the Department of Education with only five of the six being confirmed as signed. The six charter schools in the works for Bibb County are Perkins’ and Stokes’ Academy for Classical Education, Georgia Charter Education Foundation, the STEAM Academy of Macon, MTC Academy Charter Middle School, Macon Charter Academy, and Stone Academy.
Most of these potential charter schools plan to begin with only a few grade levels and expand in the coming years.
In order for these charter schools to become a reality, they must apply for their charter through the local school board.
“It is very important for the local school system to be a part of charter schools,” said Morris.
While not acting as a governing body, it is instrumental for a charter school’s success to work side-by-side with the local school board.
A charter school possesses its own governing body called a charter school governing board. At times Education Management Organizations step in to help manage charter schools. EMOs are for-profit and manage about thirty percent of all charter schools.

The air traffic control tower at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport will remain open until June 15. The tower was expected to close April 21 due to stymieing of federal funding from the Federal Aviation Administration. However, the FAA delayed cuts, citing legal and safety concerns.
“This has been a complex process, and we need to get this right,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Safety is our top priority. We will use this additional time to make sure communities and pilots understand the changes at their local airports.”
The FAA announced last month it would be cutting federal funding to 149 air traffic control towers across the nation, including control towers in Albany, Athens, Kennesaw and Lawrenceville.
The FAA made the decision to cut funding to control towers at small airports in response to across-the-board spending cuts initiated by the Budget Sequester of 2013. The FAA must make up for $637 million in cuts.
The decision to cut spending has met stiff resistance from airport operators, and some have threatened legal action.
According to an FAA press release, “This additional time will allow the agency to attempt to resolve multiple legal challenges to the closure decisions.”
Doug Faour, manager of the Middle Georgia Regional Airport, spoke to the Public Properties Committee to discuss post-funding options.
When councilman Lonnie Miley asked Faour how many jobs would be cut at the airport, Faour replied, “Anywhere from two to four employees.”
Miley then asked Faour what options were on the table.
“We are continuing to look for ways to keep the tower open,” Faour said. He said the airport has contacted both “state and local officials.”
The airport is talking with Warner Robins Air Force Base and Middle Georgia State College about providing assistance. Macon State operates a control tower at the Eastman airport.
Faour is also looking for alternative funding sources. The airport could try to assume the FAA contract, hire a private contractor (which would cost less than what FAA pays the tower operators) or pay city employees to operate the control tower.
Committee chair Rick Hutto reaffirmed to his fellow committee members that the airport is looking for options not requiring the city to “write a check.”
The city could, of course, let the control tower close, but pilots using the airport would have to self-regulate air traffic via radio.
According to the Macon Telegraph, the end of funding from the FAA will not affect Silver Airways’ planned passenger flights which began April 1.
If the tower stays closed, it will have a serious impact on the airport’s efforts to encourage air service development and facilitate maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft, Faour told the Public Properties Committee last month.