Pilots Worry Sherriffs Department is Taking Over Pelion Airport in Lexington, S.C.

July 14, 2005
Of chief concern is the departments closure of the airport terminal building. The building has been locked, and pilots cannot access bathrooms or use the phone.

In the six months since Lexington County took over the Pelion Airport, plenty of new equipment has been added to the facility, but little is useful for pilots.

The Lexington County Sheriffs Department, which is running the airport, has moved its helicopter, bomb truck and other specialized units to the airport. In the next few weeks, a three-person, round-the-clock emergency response team will begin working from its base there.

In addition, the county has made some cosmetic improvements, adding fencing and removing an old trailer. Several other upgrades are planned down the road, from lengthening the runway to adding fuel pumps,

For many pilots, county management instead of Pelion is a welcome change.

There have been some improvements, said Ronnie Lindsey, who rents a hangar at the airport. They have done some work in the terminal ... planted trees and did some paving.

But some pilots are worried the Sheriffs Department is taking over the facility and hampering pilots ability to fly from the airport, a general-aviation facility that caters mostly to recreational flyers.

Of chief concern is the departments closure of the airport terminal building. The building has been locked, and pilots cannot access bathrooms or use the phone.

Bruce Rucker, assistant sheriff who is in charge of public safety, said the terminal building has been closed for now to protect investments made in renovations from vandalism. But he added the closure isnt permanent.

If this all works out well, well open it back up ... hopefully, well have the building back open in a couple weeks, Rucker said.

Lexington County bought the airport in 2004 for about $225,000 from the town of Pelion. At the time, Lexington County Council said the plan was to use the 150-acre site as an economic development tool to entice industry to the southern end of the county.

Already, officials have approved spending $28,800 to renovate the terminal building and another $227,000 to install fuel pumps for pilots.

Work on that project should begin later this year. County officials said getting fuel to the airport is their top priority.

The airport, said pilot Alfred Folger, still requires some basic amenities, including a working beacon. County administrator Art Brooks said the beacon is scheduled to be repaired.

The long-term improvement plan the county submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration includes lengthening the runway to 5,000 feet or longer, the minimum distance required by most corporate jets. In most cases, the county pays only 2.5 percent of the project cost, with the rest coming from federal and state grants.

Lexington County officials have said rent from hangars and other airport income such as fuel sales as well as federal grants will pay for the cost of operating and improving the airport. The county has $321,000 in federal grants and expects other FAA grants in the future.

The county has not yet decided who will run the airport long-term, but Councilman Smokey Davis said the Sheriffs Department is the only county agency that has the manpower to handle the task at this time.

In the meantime, the Sheriffs Department has used the opportunity to improve service in the Pelion area and to implement its new Joint Emergency Team (JET) program at the airport.

The team is comprised of a deputy, a firefighter and an emergency medical technician who will be cross-trained in each others disciplines. The team can then respond to emergencies throughout the county.

In the short-term, the Sheriffs Department is using the terminal building to house the JET team. Tuesday, County Council approved building a new facility at the airport to house the team, which will free up the terminal building.

Lindsey, the pilot, has few complaints about how the county has handled the takeover and has taken a wait and see approach to future improvements.

Time will tell, Lindsey said. All I want to do is go out there and fly.