WARNER ROBINS, Ga. - State officials have begun buying out homes in middle Georgia feared to be too close to Robins Air Force Base.
The Macon Telegraph reports the state Department of Natural Resources has closed on five homes since getting approval to buy properties last month. Daniel Brown, a DNR business operations specialist, says the agency is seeking the go-ahead to buy up to 19 more.
Federal, state and local governments are putting up nearly $30 million to buyout homeowners living in areas most affected by noise or deemed at risk of being hit by crashing planes. Many properties are roughly in line with the end of the base's main runway.
Local authorities are also conducting buyouts and have a head start on the state, having closed on 179 total properties.