Whitley County Airport Could Board New Tenant

March 10, 2014
New tenant could bring new opportunities for pilots, missionaries and students

March 07--A new tenant could be boarding at the Williamsburg-Whitley County Airport -- and bring with them some new opportunities for pilots, missionaries and students.

During the regular monthly meeting of the Board Thursday, Doug Doughty, who works both for the airport and Whitley EMS, explained he'd received an inquiry about hangar space at the airport.

That inquiry came from Missionaire International, currently based in Tompkinsville.

According to its website, "Missionaire prepares people for a career in missionary aviation through maintenance and flight training, Bible courses, mission field preparation, and support raising. Missionaire also offers help to other mission organizations by locating and preparing suitable aircraft for use in their ministry of spreading the gospel of Christ."

The website states that Missionaire is a "non-profit, interdenominational ministry."

"The vision of Missionaire International is to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world by means of aviation," the website states, adding there are three purposes. "(They want to) train people to become missionary aviators and place them into service; locate, restore, and supply Christian organizations with suitable aircraft; and provide operational services of aircraft in unreached areas of the world."

During Thursday's meeting it was learned that Missionaire representatives came by the airport to see what the facility had to offer, including the classroom space available. It was also learned that if the group chooses the Williamsburg-Whitley County Airport, further opportunities could open up for students at the University of the Cumberlands.

What those opportunities could be weren't made clear Thursday, although it likely involves mission work.

No final decisions about Missionaire coming to the airport have been made.

In other board business:

-- Don Stricklin, who was hired by the board to clean up the airport's financial situation, brought another financial statement to the table -- and it's beginning to show some improvements.

"In another six months to a year, you'll have a better report to make decisions with," he told present board members.

Those members present Thursday were Maureen Baird, Mike Colegrove, Rich Prewitt, Alice Fae Weiland, and newly-appointed member, Mike Holbrook.

Stricklin explained that while things are beginning to level out with the airport's finances, there are no other big monies to anticipate after an $11,897 state grant. "There's nothing left out there," he said.

That, then, leaves the airport to operate on its own dollars earned through various sources, including fuel sales and rental income.

"So there's a tiny bit of light at the end of the tunnel?" asked Prewitt.

Stricklin said that was the case.

However, with the new fiscal year coming in July -- Stricklin told board members that the time has come to begin budget preparations.

He said that during April's meeting, board members should be prepared for a proposed budget. Then in May the board will need to approve a budget.

Once that happens, Stricklin said the approved budget gets presented to the Whitley County Fiscal Court in June.

Concerning refinancing the airport's current debt load -- Stricklin did not feel that would happen.

"I haven't heard anything yet," he said. "I don't know if that's coming or not -- if we're just talking, probably not."

The airport's "note balances" tops $450,000.

Prewitt, however, after hearing the previous improving finance report, did not express concern that refinancing could fall through. "I'm comfortable with the way things are going without the refinance," he said.

Stricklin added that board members may need to consider paying extra into these debts. "If the worst happens, you might have to start putting something back on the principal," he said. "Three, four --$500 a month maybe."

-- Remarking the runways and rehabilitating the lights are both getting closer to the actual project start, according to Paul Steely, with PDC Consultants.

Steely came before board members Thursday to show them the problems with the lights -- which included pictures of some lights which appeared to have been mown over.

"They look like they were run over and bush hogged," Colegrove said.

Weiland agreed. "Mowing the fixtures down is ridiculous," she said.

"There's no perfect solution," Steely said, adding that there are many ways to reduce the growth around the lights and avoid mowing incidents in the future.

However, he also cautioned that the Federal Aviation Administration will not likely provide another grant to repair the newly-replaced lights if they're "mown over" after they're installed.

The FAA granted the airport $152,000 to repaint and re-stripe the runway, and to "rehab" lights -- and Steely told board members Thursday the striping has to be complete first.

But Steely had better news for board members.

"The next time we meet we'll have a bid packet ready," Steely said. "(And we'll) put it out to bid."

He said he felt it necessary to require bidders attend a pre-bid meeting to ensure they understood all the parameters of the upcoming project.

Steely added the project would likely be "put out to bid" sometime in early May.

Copyright 2014 - The Times-Tribune, Corbin, Ky.