CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The state’s busiest airport will soon be able to put away the final debt associated with the 2015 hillside collapse at the end of its main runway.
Yeager Airport received word Monday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has approved a $3.1 million grant to reimburse the Charleston-based airport for debris removal caused by the collapse.
“This is really the last thing to come through with the slop failure,” Yeager Airport Manager Nick Keller said. “This pays airport expenses that were already incurred for the removal of debris off of Keystone Drive.”
Approximately 710,000 cubic yards of debris had to be removed following the collapse of the man-made hillside. The collapse destroyed a church, damaged several homes and displaced a number of residents along Keystone Drive. The road was impassable following the incident.
FEMA originally turned down the request for funding, Keller said.
“We sent an appeal in and thankfully we won on the appeal.”
Keller credits the state’s congressional delegation and the Kanawha County Commission for seeing the appeal through.
Both U.S. Senators Joe Manchin and Shelley Moore Capito released statements Monday acknowledging the grant award.
“As chairman of the subcommittee which funds FEMA, I’ve been working with FEMA Region III Administrator Mary Ann Tierney on this for some time,” Capito said. “This funding comes after many meetings and conversations with FEMA to do right by the folks impacted by the slide. After all the work Yeager went through filing an appeal after their reimbursement request was initially denied, I’m glad this is the end result.”
NEWS: @YeagerAirport will be reimbursed over $3 million for cleanup following the slope failure in 2015. This funding comes after many meetings and conversations with @fema to do right by the folks impacted by the slide at Yeager. ✈️
— Shelley Moore Capito (@SenCapito) October 28, 2019
Manchin said Yeager is an important gateway to the state.
“I have worked closely with airport officials, the FAA, and FEMA to secure the funding necessary for Yeager to rebuild its runways and continue servicing West Virginians and our visitors,” Manchin said. “As a member of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, I included language to allow the FAA to provide additional funding to the airport, and as a member of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, I made sure that FEMA did its part, too. I always have our West Virginia airports in mind and will continue to ensure they receive the funding they need.”
I’m proud to announce a $3.1 million grant from @fema to reimburse @YeagerAirport for cleanup related to the 2015 runway collapse. To date, I’ve helped secure nearly $25M for the airport to recover from the runway collapse. MORE: https://t.co/DfeognxRwP
— Senator Joe Manchin (@Sen_JoeManchin) October 28, 2019
Keller said Yeager didn’t have any choice in 2015 but to take on debt to clean up the mess caused by the collapse.
“The airport went into debt on our own to cleanup the failure, cleanup all of the debris and thankfully we were able to secure a change in federal law to get the Federal Aviation Administration to pay for a rebuild but for a long time we were on our own,” he said.
Yeager’s board filed a lawsuit against 15 companies that played a role in the original $23 million construction that was completed in 2007. The airport received $8.3 million in a settlement announced in April.
Yeager Board Chairman Ed Hill said at the time the collapse was not the fault of the airport.
“We had trusted engineers back when we entered into that project and as it turned out there were some things that should have been done that weren’t done that we were not aware of and it resulted in this calamity occurring,” Hill said. “We trusted the people we hired to do this. I think this settlement vindicates Yeager Airport and the management here.”
According to Hill, Yeager’s losses included American Airlines canceling a popular flight to Dallas/Fort Worth.
“That income was over a million dollars. That’s just one of the losses we had to absorb,” he said.
Keller said the $3.1 million grant announced Monday will be enough to pay off the debris-removal debt and some other debt at Yeager associated with its new Capital Jet Center. Keller said the money gives the airport a good jump into the future.
“Our vision for the future of Yeager Airport is to be the most important economic engine for the state of West Virginia,” he said. “Receiving this money will help us pay off debt and make investments to achieve that vision.”