Aug. 1—Bluefield — Federal funding that will help the Mercer County Airport pay for a costly study that must be conducted every 10 years was among eight Federal Aviation Administration grants announced Wednesday for West Virginia airports.
US Senator Joe ManchinI-WV, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said Wednesday that $7,249,095 was awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA. The funding will support improvements at eight West Virginia airports and is made possible through the FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP).
“I am pleased that DOT is investing more than $7.2 million to improve service, safety and efficiency at eight of our West Virginia airports,” Manchin said. “West Virginia’s airports are critical gateways to the rest of the world, and the funding announced today will support local tourism and stimulate economic and commercial development across our state. As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue to advocate for resources to support transportation hubs in the Mountain State.”
Mercer County Airport near Bluefield received $126,288. This grant will be used to support an aeronautical study for an area navigation instrument approach for runway 23.
“They’re talking about giving us some money to do this aerial survey,” said airport manager Jim Pilkins. “We have to do it every 10 years and it costs about $177,000 to do it, and this grant that we got will help a lot. We have to cough up 10 percent of that, the airport is part of it, but this is really timely. We have a couple more projects going on, but they’re coming at different times.”
During the investigation, which could take several months, the approach routes to the airport’s runways will be monitored during different seasons of the year.
“They have to come here and fly with the leaves off, both ways,” Pilkins said.
Pilkins said the Mercer County Airport, which is for general aviation and offers no commercial service, sees a lot of activity. For example, musicians and other performers flying to the Chuck Mathena Center in Princeton sometimes arrive at the airport. Visitors who want to ride the Hatfield-McCoy Trail also land their planes at the airport and keep their ATVs in the county.
“It’s a challenge for us to stay afloat, but it’s a great facility and we’re glad to have it here,” said Bill Archer, chairman of the Mercer County Commission, who also serves on the airport’s board of directors.
“We’ve been trying for a number of years to get what we wanted done,” Pilkins said. “The commission is really helpful.”
Other FAA grants include: — $6,507,704 — Greenbrier Valley Regional Airport, Lewisburg. This funding will support the rehabilitation of 7,000 feet of Runway 4/22 to maintain the structural integrity of the pavement and minimize foreign debris. — $134,940 — West Virginia International Yeager Airport, Charleston. This funding will be used to construct a new 1,200-foot retaining wall to stabilize the apron embankment and bring the airport into compliance with current standards.
Contact Greg Jordan at
gjordan@bdtonline.com
Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com
