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A new effort to establish an airport in Rockbridge County is underway. The county’s Economic Development Authority last week adopted a resolution in support of a feasibility study for a general aviation airport.
“I really think this proposal would be transformational for the Rockbridge area, from an economic standpoint,” said Buster Lewis, local businessman and former member of the Board of Supervisors who is spearheading the initiative.
The benefits of having a general aviation airport here, Lewis told the EDA last Wednesday, Dec. 20, would include providing support for business and manufacturing in the area, allowing for medical transport and air ambulance services, providing facilities for aerial firefighting, search and rescue and law enforcement, providing training opportunities for flight school and aviation technology, accommodating agricultural and forestry operations and enhancing outdoor recreation and tourism.
Lewis said he was bringing the proposal to the EDA as an “active citizen” who has researched the idea and consulted with numerous interested parties. He’s contacted the Virginia Department of Aviation and found interest in receiving the proposal. The VDA, through the Virginia Air Transportation System Plan, he said, has identified the Rockbridge region as “lacking in aeronautical coverage. … There’s a gap in the map.”
The EDA’s resolution is being forwarded as a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, which would be the legal entity to make an application for a feasibility study. Lewis reported that under the scenario foreseen, the state would pay 80 percent of the costs for the study and the locality would pay 20 percent. The local share could come down if other sources of funding are tapped. Lewis has contacted the cities of Lexington and Buena Vista and the towns of Glasgow and Goshen. “At the proper time, we’ll ask the cities to be partners,” he said. “It would be important to form a regional aviation authority at the proper time.”
Lewis estimated the cost of the study to be $200,000 to $300,000. Grundy, the most recent locality in Virginia to undertake such a study, had costs that came in at under $200,000, he said. If, for instance, the costs of the Rockbridge study were to be $200,000, the local share would be at $40,000, with the county’s share at $20,000 while the cities would be at $10,000 each.
David Hawkins, EDA member who was chairing Wednesday’s meeting, noted that the financial impact of the study “would have to be addressed.” He said that the EDA does have funding that could be used for this purpose.
Two local pilots who attended the meeting spoke in favor of moving forward with the study. A general aviation airport, said Chuck Barger, “would contribute to all walks of life in this county. We would see the greatest rise in economic activity.”
Saying he travels all over the country, Matt Paxton commented, “There’s no doubt that airports, even in rural areas, generate a lot of economic activity.” The key, he said, “is making sure this project is done right.”
Stacy Stevens, an EDA member who was participating in the meeting remotely, pointed out that there exists a shortage nationally of air traffic controllers. He suggested that Mountain Gateway Community College could create a program in which these skills could be taught, thus helping to alleviate this shortage.
EDA member Janie Harris asked if site selection would be part of the feasibility study. Lewis said he believes that would be a part of the study, though previously, when a study was conducted back in the 1990s, site selection was dealt with separately. “We’ll deal with site selection later but we’ll deal with it forthrightly,” said Lewis.
Harris asked how much acreage would be needed for a general aviation airport. Hawkins responded that the runway would be 5,500 feet, which is a mile long “A large parcel [of land] would be needed,” he said.
In terms of what revenues would be generated, Lewis said an airport can fund itself with fees. Hangers can be additional sources of revenue, he added.
Jay Williams made a motion to adopt a resolution in support of the feasibility study. Harris seconded the motion, which passed 5-0.
Supervisors chairman David McDaniel, attending the meeting remotely, said he anticipates that the EDA’s resolution would be an agenda item at the Board’s first meeting in January.
If the supervisors opt to seek a feasibility study, the Central Shenandoah Planning District Commission would likely assist with the preparation of an application.
The last effort to establish an airport in Rockbridge County ended in 1996 when voters rejected the idea in a referendum.
