Wood County Airport Authority elects officers
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WILLIAMSTOWN -- The Wood County Airport Authority elected officers and discussed a number of concerns including controlling wildlife on the grounds.
The authority elected officers for the 2023-24 year with Bill Richardson Jr. as president, Andy Daniels as vice president and Terry Moore as secretary.
The authority approved a 4.9% increase to rent for facilities the authority rents out at the airport. Representatives of River Town Aviation asked if they could get a discount if they could do some needed repair work on their own with the airport supplying the materials. The board was receptive to that.
With enplanements, they are doing better than what they were doing this time last year.
"We are still on track to getting 7,000 people so it will be a good year," Airport Manager Ben Auville said.
The airport sold over 503,000 gallons of fuel during the last year with a lot of fuel being bought by the River Town Aviation flight school, around 5,000 gallons. The flight school has also seen continual growth, officials said.
There was discussion of putting wildlife fencing along certain areas of the airport property to better control deer getting on the property. What they are proposing is installing fencing like what is found along most highways just outside the runway safety areas. It is a woven wire fence with barbed wire on top, around 4-5 feet high.
Over the last month, officials killed seven deer. They felt the fencing will help keep animals off the airfield.
It would not 100% prevent, but this time of year it would prevent the fawns from traveling so it would keep the moms off the runway, Auville said.
"It will help keep more off.
"That would give us a better level of control."
Officials will see what money would be available to do that as well as doing portions as the money is available.
"It gives you areas where you can control that flow," he said.
Officials have procedures in place to check for deer before the Contour jet lands. Anyone shooting has been through a gun safety course with the Wood County Sheriff's Department, officials said.
Officials discussed getting some of the hanger doors fixed as some people have had trouble getting them open and closed.
Another idea officials discussed was to host a fly-in where pilots would fly into the airport from elsewhere and be given a meal to show what is available at the airport.
Officials want to approach the City of Parkersburg to request money that was discussed in the past. Officials said the city committed to give the airport some money if the county commission did.
"I think it is worth having a conversation," Daniels said.
Richardson said they drafted a letter last fall and sent it to City Clerk Connie Shaffer and Mayor Tom Joyce detailing some of the work they would like to do and requesting some funding.
"After seeing them put down new turf at City Park, which is fine, I would like to get some money up here," Richardson said. "After all, our initials (on aviation maps and materials) are PKB."
The county has given them over $60,000 for their current budget as well as other support, Auville said.
Officials wanted to see what kind of commitment the city might make with officials acknowledging it probably wouldn't be an exact match to what the county has given.
"If we don't ask, they aren't going to match anything," Daniels said.
Officials said they would be contacting city officials.
Richardson said he has brought up the airport to different officials around the area and does not get much of a response.
"We don't even get a 'no,' we are just kind of ignored," he said.
He wants to have local state legislators and other elected officials out to the airport sometime this fall, before the start of the regular legislative session in early 2024, for a luncheon to show them the airport and start gathering support.
With growth in the area, the airport will need more support. The airport helps bring in around $150 million to the area, Richardson said, citing a West Virginia Aviation report.
"That is a very good reason to support us," he said.