AIKEN, S.C. — Aiken City Council on Oct. 12 continued until Oct. 26 a resolution that would rename Aiken Regional Airport in honor of the late U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, after hearing public comments for and against the change.
City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh told the council that community members and Aiken County lawmakers in the S.C. General Assembly had asked for the renaming. He also said the council-appointed General Aviation Commission is not recommending this particular name change.
The city has owned the airport since 1947, when it was known as the Aiken Municipal Airport. Located near U.S. Highway 1 and Interstate 20, it was renamed Aiken Regional Airport in 2017. The proposed resolution would call it the Senator Lindsey Graham Aiken Regional Airport. Bedenbaugh estimated new signage would cost $15,000 to $20,000.
Aiken Regional Airport is a general aviation field at 129 Aviation Blvd. with no commercial air service. The city owns the airport; Christopher McCauley is the manager. Graham represented Aiken in the U.S. House from 1995 to 2003 and served in the Senate until his death on July 11.
Nine members of the public spoke in favor of the proposal and three spoke against it. Councilmember Braylen Waldo moved to continue the discussion to Oct. 26 so the General Aviation Commission can meet in a quorum and bring a recommendation to a work session before the next regular vote. Waldo, Lessie Price, Barbara Morgan, Gail Diggs and Mayor Teddy Milner voted for continuance; Kay Brohl and Peter Messina voted against it.
