The Raleigh County Memorial Airport in Beaver has been a site of significant change in recent years, all aimed at advancing the local economy.
From the upgrade and expansion of its terminal to the development of infrastructure on a roughly 100-acre industrial park on the west side of the property, the airport is on the cusp of realizing the dreams of its supporters, envisioned decades ago.
The $1.3 million terminal upgrades, paid through the Federal Aviation Administration’s airport improvement program, will more than double the seating area for passengers who have undergone security screenings.
That project is expected to be completed in October.
Also nearing completion is the $10.4 million site-ready project for the airport’s new industrial park.
New River Gorge Regional Development Authority Executive Director Jina Belcher, who is also a member of the Raleigh County Memorial Airport Board, said that except for a sewer line extension, the necessary infrastructure has been installed at the industrial park site.
She added that the NRGRDA is soliciting bids from agencies to market the industrial park as well as the airport’s commercial flight services.
That local officials even have the opportunity to make plans and daydream about the future of the Raleigh County Memorial Airport is thanks to the support of the local community.
The expansive property in Beaver, where the Raleigh County Memorial Airport sits, was initially purchased by Charles Hodel in the 1940s.
The property, which consisted of roughly 3,000 acres, was then donated to Raleigh County for the purpose of establishing an airport.
Hodel was the former publisher of Beckley Newspapers and was also instrumental in developing the Beckley Mount Hope Airport, which closed shortly after the opening of the Raleigh County Memorial Airport in 1952.
Airport manager Tom Cochran said the county then developed the Raleigh County Airport Authority, which, in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration, helps to ensure the property is used in ways that best benefit the airport and the community.
Through that partnership, along with the support of the local county commission and other federal and state agencies, the airport has grown to encompass roughly 1,500 acres.
It includes a 24,000-square-foot main terminal and two runways.
The runway running east to west is 5,000 feet long, and the runway running north to south is 6,750 feet long. There is also space on the north to south runway to extend it an additional 2,000 feet, which would make it the longest runway in the state.
Since its inception, the airport has been used as a tool to promote economic growth by attracting state and federal grants to expand opportunities at the airport, which have, in turn, enticed businesses to locate nearby.
Public funds were previously used to extend one of the runways in the 1970s, which opened up the capabilities of the airport to allow for commercial carriers.
“That gave us another dimension of opportunity into aviation,” Cochran said.
Around the same time, Cochran said former U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd was able to successfully petition his friends in Washington, D.C., to establish a federal mine academy on a site near the airport.
Following this, several hundred acres of the airport property were sold off to businesses.
Cochran said those businesses, located east of the airport, have since created over 1,500 jobs.
“That’s what the persons who put their initial dollars in were focused on – let’s build a better airport,” he said. “We have the land big enough to put the footprint of what you see that has developed into the jobs that have already been created and the jobs that will be coming in the future.”
With the development of an industrial park, Belcher said the airport can attract companies in the aerospace industry with the added selling point that they’ll have access to an airport that will essentially be in their backyard.
Belcher said the industrial park is divided into three site-ready pads, a 44-acre pad, a 15-acre pad and a 30-acre pad, which is already half filled with an AEP substation.
Roughly 15 acres are left of the 30-acre pad with the AEP substation.
Unlike the other pads, Belcher said the site-ready property near the AEP substation can be sold as it’s what’s known in airport terminology as “outside the fence,” meaning it’s not under FAA oversight.
Properties located “outside the fence” can be sold, which is how businesses not in the aerospace industry were previously able to purchase properties east of the airport.
Belcher said the remaining two pads, which are closer to the runway, are “inside the fence” and are subject to approval from the FAA.
The properties located “inside the fence” can’t be sold; they are only leased, which Belcher said creates an added revenue stream for the airport.
Cochran said the FAA aided in the funding of the airport when it was initially established and, in turn, encumbered the land. Should the county ever attempt to use land “inside the fence” without FAA approval, it would have to pay back the FAA’s investment into the property plus the fair market value of the land as it stands today.
Cochran said this is why the partnership between the FAA and the county is so crucial and why so much effort has been put into maintaining that relationship.
He added that the FAA has an office at the Raleigh airport, and over the years, the FAA has contributed roughly $32 million to the airport for maintenance, care and development of taxiways, for new navigational equipment and for terminal improvements.
For the properties located “inside the fence” at the airport, Belcher said the FAA wants businesses that are “conducive to the aerospace industry” in order to ensure that they don’t interfere with the airport’s daily operations.
“It has to be some level of maintenance, repair or manufacturing that directly ties to the aerospace industry, which is why there has to be such a targeted effort for marketing, because ... finding 105 collective acres of property that’s flat at an airport is not something you’re going to find in West Virginia,” Belcher said. “So everyone wants to locate something here, but we can’t. It has to directly tie to the aerospace industry.”
Yet another selling point for the airport is the new Aircraft Maintenance Technician School being established by New River Community and Technical College.
The college recently purchased a hangar at the Raleigh County Memorial Airport and was awarded a $3 million grant from the state to purchase equipment and renovate the hangar for the use of the new Aircraft School.
In May, New River CTC President Bonny Copenhaver said they were still waiting on the FAA to approve a certification for the program.
According to the college’s website, the program will produce certified airframe and powerplant mechanics who perform a variety of tasks related to the inspection, maintenance and repair of aircraft.
These tasks include inspecting mechanical and structural components of an aircraft and performing routine maintenance on aircraft engines, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, electrical systems and electronic systems.
The program will also focus on fixed-wing aircraft.
With the addition of the industrial park and the creation of an aircraft maintenance technician school, Cochran said the airport is not only advancing the local economy but also ensuring the future of the individuals in the community.
“It’s about taking care of our own people and taking care of our own economy,” Cochran said. “If we don’t invest in it ourselves, nobody else is going to ... You may have children of your own that’s going to grow up into something that’s going to develop out of this airport.”
___
(c)2024 The Register-Herald (Beckley, W.Va.)
Visit The Register-Herald (Beckley, W.Va.) at www.register-herald.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
