Wheeling-Ohio County Airport Projects Are Discussed | News, Sports, Jobs

Photo by
Derek Redd
The Wheeling-Ohio
County Airport could be in line for some
upgrades, including
$1.7 million to improve its control tower.

WHEELING — The control tower at the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport is slated for nearly $2 million in upgrades, and there also could be drone business in the airport’s future.

This week Ohio County commissioners passed a motion to apply for a $1.7 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration to pay for a new roof and new glass for the control tower at the airport.

“All indications from the aviation people are that the tower is an asset to the airport,” said Commissioner Zach Abraham.” A lot of smaller airports don’t have a control tower because of the cost. They have to be manned.”

There are air traffic controllers on duty at the Wheeling-Ohio County Airport between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. each day, and during the off hours the air traffic control is conducted by an automated system.

As recently as 2017, the FAA had told Ohio County officials it wanted to terminate its lease for the tower at the airport.

The aviation community has pushed to keep the tower open for safety purposes. Abraham said commissioners want to shore up the envelope or outside of the tower, then move on to some internal projects.

“It could be a swelling point with the aviation community, and other things we are trying to attract there,” he explained.

The county would have to put up $85,000 in matching funds to receive the $1.7 million grant, according to Abraham.

Also this week, commissioners agreed to join with 18 other counties in West Virginia and Ohio who have airports for a study to determine how drone use could be coordinated within the Ohio River Valley area.

The study would look at how drones could be used locally by commercial, industrial and military interests, Abraham explained.

Officials in Lawrence County, Ohio reached out to Ohio County about doing the study and learning how the use of drones could become an economic driver for the area, Abraham said. He explained a “last mile delivery logistics” hub could be constructed locally, from where drones would fly out and deliver packages.

Ohio County will pay $30,000 to participate in the study being coordinated by Case-Western University, Abraham said.