The Chilton County Commission was honored with the 2015 Excellence in County Government Award for the Association of County Commissions of Alabama for the Chilton County Airport “Extreme Makeover.”

This marks the second consecutive year that Chilton County has won the ACCA award.

According to a release from the ACCA, for a community that was close to losing its county airport less than 15 years ago, the future is much brighter today.

The table started to turn for the Chilton County Airport in 2013, when it received $2.5 million in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration and the Alabama Department of Transportation Aeronautics Bureau.

This led to the county commission initiating “numerous” infrastructure projects to create a functional facility that could serve the residents of Chilton County.

The award recognizes innovative and effective programs initiated or completed between July 1, 2014, and June 30, 2015, and it is designed to recognize programs implemented by the commission itself and not its agencies or boards.

Chilton County was recognized in the category for counties with populations under 50,000, according to the release.

“This project of the Chilton County Commission is a great example of what can happen when local leaders work together for the common good,” ACCA Executive Director Sonny Brasfield said in a release. “Chilton County officials collaborated with leaders at the city, state, and federal levels to overcome these obstacles, and the result is a long-term economic development boost for the community.”

In 2014, the commission was recognized with the award for working to secure a new hospital.

The ACCA did not present a county with a rural county award in 2013.

Elmore County received the excellence in county government for the urban category (population of more than 50,000) in 2013.