The Metro Nashville Airport Authority is poised to vote on whether to officially change the name of Nashville International Airport to honor Dolly Parton. The vote is set for the morning of Friday, Sept. 11, during a special meeting of the authority's Board of Commissioners.
A name change to honor Parton, who died Aug. 25 at 80, is supported by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell and nearly 175,000 people who signed a Change.org petition in support of the renaming.
The authority's board was initially planning to take up the matter at its regularly scheduled Sept. 17 meeting, but a schedule change is allowing the vote to happen in a special meeting on Sept. 11. The board is expected to address a couple of key measures to facilitate
the name change.
Current policy allows for the airport to be named after people who have been dead at least two years and who made significant contributions to the airport authority or aviation in Middle Tennessee. Board members will need to change that rule in order to move forward with the renaming.
It is unclear how quickly the change could be named after the vote, but a 2025 cost estimate determined a total rebrand would take more than $10 million. Those funds would likely come out of the Metro Nashville Airport Authority's annual budget unless state officials decided to dedicate money to the project.
“Dolly’s remarkable legacy reminds us that what makes Nashville special is our ability to welcome people from every walk of life. She understood that dignity, kindness and opportunity should never be defined by where you come from or your socioeconomic status," Nashville airport President and CEO Doug Kreulen said in a statement. "That spirit is what defines BNA and it is a fitting reflection of the values Dolly shared with Tennessee and the world.”
Molly Davis covers growth and development in Nashville and assists with special projects. You can email her with comments, questions and tips at mmdavis@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville airport board to vote on name change for Dolly Parton
