By Ruby Gregg
Matt Paxton first learned to fly glider planes at Lexington’s airport in 1970, two months before he got his license to drive a car.
Back then, the airport was not much more than a field, where, today, the Modine Manufacturing Co. is located.
“I’ve flown all around this country, and I’ve seen what having a local airport does for a community,” Paxton said in an interview. “It opens it up to the world in a way that ground transportation doesn’t.”
That’s why Paxton, the publisher of the News-Gazette in Lexington, said he’s excited about the possibility of a regional airport in Rockbridge County.
The Rockbridge County Board of Supervisors is leading the effort to launch a $200,000 study that would assess the feasibility of building a regional airport in the county. The supervisors asked Buena Vista and Lexington to share the cost of the study.
On March 7, the Buena Vista City Council agreed to kick in money. The Lexington City Council discussed the request but put off a decision until later in the month.
Boyd Brown, chair of the county Economic Development Authority, said 80% of the study’s cost will be covered with funding from the Virginia Department of Aviation and the Federal Aviation Administration.
The supervisors want Lexington and BV to split the remaining 20% of the study’s cost with the county. The county would pay $23,731, Lexington would pay $8,606, and BV would pay $7,662.
“If they’ve got skin in the game with the study, then they get more of a voice,” Brown said. “If the project were to go forward, that kind of gets them in on the ground floor as a plank holder.”
The area colleges—Washington and Lee, Mountain Gateway Community College, Southern Virginia University and Virginia Military Institute—sent letters of support for the feasibility study to the state aviation department.
“The need for an airport has been discussed for many years as the Rockbridge County area lacks aviation services,” wrote Major Gen. Cedric T. Wins, VMI’s superintendent. “Establishing a municipal airport in Rockbridge County will place the region in a more competitive position for new economic development opportunities and increased tourism.”
Wins said VMI’s cadets could benefit from an airport where they could learn about aviation and receive emergency air ambulance services if needed. He also said an airport could provide the community with the capability for aerial firefighting, search and rescue and law enforcement.
Mountain Gateway Community College said it supports the study because an airport could provide jobs for its students.
“If they’ve got skin in the game with the study, then they get more of a voice,” Boyd Brown said.
Brown said aviation jobs pay well, and people in the county would benefit. He cited U.S. Census Bureau data that says the county’s median household income is about $62,000 a year. He said the average aviation mechanic’s annual salary is a little over $70,000.
The county’s supervisors proposed an airport about 35 years ago, Brown said. There were 20 potential locations identified. But voters rejected a referendum that would’ve cleared the way to build an airport.
“There are a lot of people that want Rockbridge County to be just like it was in 1968,” Brown said. “That’s just not how the world works.”
Environmental impact
Lexington Mayor Frank Friedman said council members are worried about the impact on the environment.
“Quite frankly, private plane travel is the worst environmental polluter in terms of transportation,” Council Member Leslie Straughan said during the March 7 meeting.
She referred to the city’s land use plan, which promises that Lexington is committed to protecting the environment.
“We are emphasizing walking and biking,” she said. “Having a private airport to service private planes is counter to that.”
Paxton disagreed. He said Interstate 81 creates more pollution for the area than an airport would.
“Whether there’s an airport in Rockbridge County or not an airport in Rockbridge County, it isn’t going to affect people flying over Rockbridge County,” he said. “I don’t quite see how having an airport or not having an airport makes much difference in terms of our environmental quality.”
Paxton said a regional airport could inspire other future pilots.
“It meant a lot of difference to me when I was growing up,” he said. “It was something I had a passion for. Every kid needs something they have a passion for, and for some young people, it’s aviation.”