CHESAPEAKE – Dee Callicoat, the temporary manager of the Lawrence County Airport, told county commissioners Thursday that the airport qualified for a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Sunday, February 25, 2001

CHESAPEAKE – Dee Callicoat, the temporary manager of the Lawrence County Airport, told county commissioners Thursday that the airport qualified for a grant from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Callicoat said the airport was eligible for $150,000 from the FAA with a 10 percent matching grant from the county. Callicoat said the grant was allocated by the Detroit, Mich., office of the FAA, which supervises airports in this area.

The airport has been operated by the county since December after the former operators pulled out of their lease. Callicoat stresses that all work being done at the airport comes from volunteer efforts.

"This airport is not being funded by taxpayers money," Callicoat said.

Instead of the county staffing the site with paid employees, more than 50 people volunteer at the airport running all aspects of the operation of the facility.

The volunteers also have collected enough money to purchase aviation fuel to fill the pumps. Callicoat said profits from the gas sales will go to airport upgrades.

Callicoat sees two main objectives for the airports renovations. He said clearing trees at both ends of the runway and resurfacing the runway are top priorities.

The trees are located off airport property and it is hoped an agreement can be reached by the county and the private landholder.

The runway was built in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The airport was built by a federal grant of $80,000 and with $13,000 from the county and $7,500 from the Huntington, W.Va., Chamber of Commerce.

Callicoat said his ultimate goal is to have 50 or 60 airplanes based out of the airport, paying rent money into the airport coffers.

He added, "this is a public airport, it belongs to everybody in Lawrence County."