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Appalachian Air takes trial flight from Pikeville to Nashville WYMT-TV (Hazard)

Article and video news report by Hillary Thornton originally posted to the WYMT-TV web site http://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/Appalachian-Air-takes-trial-flight-from-Pikeville-to-Nashville–245305681.html

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) Get ready for take off. In November, state and local leaders announced a new commercial air service coming to Eastern Kentucky. On Wednesday, many local leaders were on board for the trial flight.  WYMT also flew along as they toured the facilities in Nashville.

More than a dozen people boarded the plane and took part in the hour long flight.

Project leaders have been busy preparing for the launch of Appalachian Air.

Luke Schmidt says, “We are daling with things like improving infrastructure at airport and dealing with creating TSA screening and security plan…we are in the middle of that right now.”

Officials say Wednesday’s trip is another step to getting the service up and running…touring the operating company, Cooperate Flight Management’s maintenance facilities.

CFM Chief Executive Allen Howell says, ” I think the community leaders have a real vision for what air service does for a community from the economic development stand point. The community understands this is an infrastructure issue, just like having a good highway system.”

Wednesday’s passengers, also getting a first hand look at Nashville International Airport, which officials say will be a huge gateway to Eastern Kentucky.

Passengers on Appalachian Air will fly in and out of Terminal C, which is in the main hub of the Nashville airport….with 70% of the airport’s business taking place in that terminal.

Once in Nashville, passengers will not have to go back through security, making for easy connections and quick travel.

Schmidt says, “The Nashville airport is growing and it has a lot of service but it is not Atlanta and it is not Chicago, which on any scale are huge, complex, and can be cumbersome.”

Officials  hope to get Appalachian Air officially off the ground on April 14th, with ticket sales starting on February 24th.

That start date is a little later than officials had anticipated, due to some delays they could not control like the time it took to get proper certifications…which they say was slowed down due to the government shutdown.

Schmidt says, “Everyone involved in this project, whether they are in Pikeville or one of our providers, we are all comitted to doing this thing 100% – – first class all the way. We don’t want anything to slip through, so that’s why we did that.”

Officials say a new website should be operating soon and will feature a trip calculator to help folks compare prices from other airports, while taking into account driving time and expenses.

 

 

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Tone of SPCU report is positive (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal

Article originally posted to the (Somerset) Commonwealth-Journal’s web site http://www.somerset-kentucky.com/local/x1768000277/Tone-of-SPCU-report-is-positive

by Chris Harris Commonwealth Journal         Fri Jan 24, 2014, 05:29 PM EST

Somerset — Around 140 people attended Thursday night’s public unveiling of a $35,000 study designed to determine the feasibility of a united city-county government here in Pulaski County.
The tone of the presentation was overwhelmingly positive toward the idea that the area could benefit from a merging of local governments, focusing on several communities — including Athens, Ga., Butte, Mont., and Lexington and Louisville, Ky. — that apparently benefited from a similar unification.
“I think this community is at a real crossroads,” announced Luke Schmidt, president of Louisville firm L.B. Schmidt & Associates, and the man who conducted the study and presented it Thursday at the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce  “Business After Hours” event at The Center for Rural Development.

 
“You have a lot of great things here, a very good quality of life,” he continued. “… I think you have a real question to ask yourselves, and that is: Do we want to take our good local government and make it great? Do we want to bring new opportunities for growth and development and new jobs into the community that we might not get otherwise, unless we consider a change in … government?

 
“My recommendation to the community is, I think unified government, if it’s carefully crafted, carefully considered, and properly implemented … can, in fact, bring some benefits to the community,” he added. “If you draft a poorly-drafted plan, it won’t work. But if you really get involved, stay on it, and take the time and put together a really good plan, I think the opportunity exists to really move this community to the next level.”

 
Schmidt specified that this is because it gives the community “the ability to speak with one voice” in Frankfort and Washington; because clashes between local governments — and as Schmidt alluded to multiple times, the Pulaski County government and City of Somerset have had their share over the last year, particularly over occupational tax distribution — can potentially drive away businesses looking to locate here; and becoming the third-largest community in the state in terms of population.

 
Schmidt said that he saw only two disadvantages to a merger: the loss of USDA loans due to population thresholds (which would take place if the city reached second-class status with a population of 20,000 — which, Schmidt said, has been a stated goal of Somerset Mayor Eddie Girdler anyway), and potential loss of community identity, which Schmidt also downplayed, as “it’s not like the complexion of the community will just dry up and disappear,” as he put it.

 
The results of the study are available at www.spcunited.com. SPCU (Somerset-Pulaski County United) is the group made up of numerous local citizens and businesspersons who pushed for the feasibility study to take place.

 
The study was just research; any unification of local governments would have to be voted upon by Pulaski County citizens, and the process could take years if it ever gets off the ground at all. Schmidt stressed that without participation by the City of Somerset, the plan wouldn’t work.

 
To date, Mayor Eddie Girdler and the Somerset City Council have been resistant to working with those conducting the study.

 
Pat Bourne was one councilor who attended the Thursday meeting. He said he hadn’t “established an opinion” on the matter but was just there as a citizen to learn more.

 
“It didn’t tell me anything that I hadn’t already thought of,” he said of the presentation. “I don’t know where this thing’s going or if they’re going to continue doing research on it or not.”

 
Bill Leslie of the Burnside City Council was in attendance too. He didn’t expect a unified government situation to ever transpire given Somerset’s opposition, nor did he think it was a good idea for his own city.
“No, I don’t,” he said when asked if he thought unified government would be in Burnside’s best interests. “We would lose our identity as Burnside. … We have these individual forms of government because that’s what we chose. If we’re going to merge, why not merge all the states? Do away with all local governments? No, that’s not the way to do it.”

 
Other officials had a more favorable reaction, particularly those representing the county government. The Pulaski County Fiscal Court, unlike the Somerset City Council, opted to help fund a third of the cost of the study.
“I think personally that we need to look into bettering our county,” said Fifth District Magistrate Mike Strunk. “… I think we need to look into (the merger plan) more. From what I heard tonight, yeah, I think it could be the best thing for our county.”

 
“My take as a magistrate is that I feel like we owe it to the county to look into this,” said Third District Magistrate Glenn Maxey. “… We have talked to these people a couple of times before. (The presentation) did shed light on a couple of different things I didn’t realize, like some of the cities that had gone into (a similar situation).”

 
Judge-Executive Barty Bullock was present Thursday night and said a lot of “good questions” were asked and answered.

 
“I think as elected officials, it’s our responsibility to look at every option to see if there’s something out there that’s better for the people of the county,” he said. “It’s something I can’t do or the mayor can’t do on his own. It has to go to a public vote. We as officials would abide by whatever the people vote for.”

 
Tiffany Bourne, Community Development Director with the county government, said that streamlining government would create less competition over financial resources.

 
“It is hard enough to compete with other counties and states for grant money without having to compete with our local cities,” she said. “No matter who the voice is, we need to speak as one voice.”

 
Bobby Clue, executive director of the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce, said that Schmidt’s presentation was “solid” and provided a lot of good information.

 
“The jury’s still out as far as we’re concerned,” he said. “We (the Chamber) are going to go back and meet as a board and we’re going to truly review what we’ve seen tonight. As soon as we do that, hopefully we’ll be able to come up with some conclusions on how we truly feel about united government.”

 
Clue said that having lived in Lexington, which merged with Fayette County decades ago, he saw lots of positives and very few negatives in that community. He noted that it’s difficult to tell if all of the developments Schmidt pointed out that occurred in other unified communities happened because of a merger similar to what’s being proposed in Pulaski County.

 
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” he said.

 
Numerous other individuals not in a public office of some kind also came to the meeting to hear what Schmidt had to say, and came away with a collectively mixed reaction.

 
Patty Ping of Childers Financial Services was all for the plan she heard about on Thursday night.

 
“I think it’s a great thing, long overdue,” she said. “I think there’s a lot of waste, a lot of repetition (in government). It would make things much simpler for us as citizens with what they’re trying to do to draw in industry and keep the population here, and even bring in new population. … I think (the study) was very informative, especially if you have an open mind.”

 
Ross Rutt, director of operations for Blackboard Student Services, didn’t share the same optimism.

 
“My biggest issue is that I think the priority of the county is job growth … and I just don’t see where any unified government at this point in time shows any data that it would improve net job adds,” he said. “My concern is that I see a lot of folks as public officials, representatives of the community organizing around this as opposed to job growth and that just sort of perplexes me. … I believe from an efficiency perspective (the plan) makes sense. I just believe that if we really want to improve our community, it’s going to be about focusing on really bringing some real jobs in. That’s what’s driving the issues with our community, like drug use and poverty.”

 
Real estate appraiser John Haney said that a unified government could be a “great step forward” for the community, and that the presentation raised a lot of intriguing questions for him.

 
“(The study) didn’t sway me either way,” he said. “My opinion has been that I’ve been on board with the merger or the prospect of looking into it since Day 1.”

 
According to Dave Weddle of Wellhead Energy Systems — the man whose Progress Somerset group successfully led a drive to make Somerset “wet” with alcohol sales in 2012 — it’s all just speculation unless Somerset city leaders indicate that they’re on board.

 
“It’s really impractical to do this without Somerset being fully engaged in the unification process,” he said. “… You’d have to assume that if the city (voting base) comes back and keeps things as they are (in the upcoming election), that would be a strong point on them saying they’re happy with the way things are.

 
“I think any place that doesn’t look at change every day … will probably fall behind,” added Weddle. “There are real, positive attributes to looking (at a unified government plan), but again, the devil is in the details.”

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“Unified Government” Study released in Pulaski County WYMT-TV (Hazard)

Article originally posted to WYMT-TV web site http://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/Unified-Government-Study-released-in-Pulaski-County-241772741.html

 

The Pulaski County Unified Government Study Findings Presentation was held Thursday at the Center for Rural Development in Somerset. The study was commissioned by “Somerset-Pulaski County United” and the Pulaski County Fiscal Court and was conducted by a Louisville-based consulting firm.

A study to explore a unified government in Pulaski County that was the topic of conversation in Somerset Thursday, but what exactly is a “unified government” anyway?

“It’s essentially a merger of two or more local governments.  Instead of having, say four cities and one county government.  In theory, a combined or unified government could consolidate all of those governments into one streamlined government,” said Luke Schmidt of L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, the firm that conducted the study.

And that was the theory presented to dozens of community members.  More specifically, organizers say the goal was to explain how such a government could be implemented in the future.

“We just want to educate the community on what the possibilities are for economic development and opportunity in Pulaski county and Somerset,” said Brook Ping of Somerset – Pulaski County United.

But not everyone in the area supports the idea of unifying municipal governments.  The city of Somerset elected not to participate in the study, its mayor saying such a path would have negative consequences.

“It’s not in the best interest of our citizens, or voters of Somerset, to take our resources and the efforts we’ve made and to virtually give them away to the county,” said  Eddie Girdler, mayor of Somerset.

But organizers behind the study say this presentation should not be misinterpreted as a vote of support for a unified government, but merely as a starting point to begin the conversation.

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SPCU study stresses plan isn’t political (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal

Article originally posted to the (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal web site http://www.somerset-kentucky.com/local/x1767997925/SPCU-Study-stresses-plan-isn-t-political-foresees-Somerset-as-third-largest-city-in-state

SPCU study stresses plan isn’t political; foresees Somerset as third largest city in state

by Bill Mardis Commonwealth Journal          Thu Jan 23, 2014, 07:38 PM EST

Somerset — Unifying governments in Pulaski County is a citizen-driven opportunity to streamline government through unification and is not involved in politics.
This was the central theme of a study released late yesterday to the Commonwealth Journal, and then to the public at a Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce “Business After Hours” event at The Center for Rural Development.
The 10-month study, commissioned by Somerset-Pulaski County United (SPCU), a group of about 150 civic and business leaders, was conducted by Luke Schmidt, president of Louisville-based consulting firm L.B. Schmidt & Associates.
“Neither SPCU nor locally elected officials, only voters can approve or reject unification,” Schmidt emphasized from the start. “We have never said … we will never say existing governments in Pulaski County are bad, nor does the study reflect negativity,” he insisted.
The study insists unification presents an opportunity to build a bigger and better community. “The opportunity exists to make good local government great with everyone focused on a common purpose –– to grow the community and create new jobs,” Schmidt said. “For communities that have unified, not one has dissolved its unified government to return to the former form of duplicative government, he related.
“This study provides a foundation for SPCU as we begin to consider both the positives and negatives that might accrue to our community if the community wishes to unify the various local governments, said SPCU chairman Brook Ping. “It is an educational process,” he added.
Unified governments in the county would dissolve city boundaries and create one government for the entire county. The exception is Eubank which straddles the Pulaski-Lincoln county line and by state law is not eligible to participate in a unified government. Schmidt said Eubank could enter into an interlocal agreement and be a participating city with unified governments.
The sense of community would remain … Nancy would be Nancy, Science Hill would be Science Hill, Burnside would be Burnside, both Ping and Schmidt emphasized.
At present, Pulaski County has 56 local government jurisdictions providing services to 63,000 people. Greater Pulaski County has an additional 32 boards and commissions for a total of 88 government-related entities, the study noted.
Annually, it costs $27.7 million in general fund revenues and a workforce of 581 employees to provide local government services in all of Pulaski County, the study pointed out. Somerset, with its current population of 11,296, is the 33rd largest city in Kentucky. Unified, with a population of more than 63,000, Somerset, now a third-class city, would be the third largest city in the state, qualifying for 2nd-class status.
Typically, no public workers from unifying jurisdictions are laid off as the result of merger. The work force is reduced by normal attrition, the study says.
“No one is saying unified governments will save money, only that money will be spent more efficiently,” said Schmidt.
Unification will not move school boundaries; it will not change local option areas, and with combined budgets, tax rates usually stay the same, Schmidt pointed out.
Schmidt and Ping explained that the unified government law in Kentucky has been modified to allow individual cities to remain unchanged.
“For example,” Schmidt said, “If voters in Science Hill rejected unification the city would not change. If voters in Somerset and unincorporated areas voted against the plan, unification is dead,” he noted.
“The most important part of the study, and perhaps the hardest part, will be for all citizens to begin thinking, not only outside the box, but also outside of traditional boundary lines,” said Schmidt. “The opportunity exists to build a bigger and better community,” he added. Economic development officials in unified communities confirm that having one central government is much more attractive to business and industrial clients considering investing in a community, the study said.
Somerset and Ferguson already have opted out of the plan and “ … without Somerset unification won’t work,” Schmidt conceded.
According to law, to start a unification process, Pulaski Fiscal Court, Somerset City Council and governing bodies of Burnside, Ferguson and Science Hill by ordinance would create an official Unified Government Commission made up of between 20 and 40 members to plan a structure for a unified city-county government.
Pulaski Fiscal Court would appoint half the members of a Unified Government Commission and the remaining members would be appointed by participating cities, prorated on population.
Any type of merged governments must be approved by voters of Pulaski County. Ping has said several times that unification is a slow process and successful merger could take up to four years

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Unified government plan to be unveiled (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal

Article originally posted to the (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal web site http://www.somerset-kentucky.com/newslive/x1427970087/Unified-government-plan-to-be-unveiled

Public invited to hear results of SPCU study at Center tonight

by Bill Mardis Commonwealth Journal          Wed Jan 22, 2014, 05:59 PM EST

Somerset —

A 10-month study on feasibility of unified local governments in Pulaski County will be discussed tonight at The Center for Rural Development. The event, in a Somerset-Pulaski County Chamb-er of Commerce “Business After Hours” format, will begin at 6 p.m. and the public, elected officials and candidates for public office are urged to attend.
Luke B. Schmidt, president of Louisville-based consulting firm L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, will make a formal presentation on the study’s findings, according to Brook Ping, chair of Somerset-Pulaski County United (SPCU), a group of about 150 local business and community leaders.
None of the study’s findings has been released up to now. However, a news release from SPCU said a broad base of the study includes an analysis of existing governmental structures in Pulaski County, an examination of select community unified government structures in the United States and an overview of how to form unified governments in Kentucky and Pulaski County.
SPCU has emphasized from the onset that the $35,000 study will not advocate unification of city and county governments; only determine the feasibility of unified governments. They have pointed out that Somerset, with its current population of 11,296, is the 33rd largest city in Kentucky. Unified, with a population of more than 63,000, Somerset, now a third-class city, would be the third largest city in the state, qualifying for 2nd-class status.
Ping pointed out that unification, if approved by voters, is a slow-moving procedure. He estimated it would take at least four years.
  “Lots of questions have been raised about unified government and what it might mean to the community,” said Schmidt. “Our presentation will begin to answer these questions with real data about the current form of government in Pulaski County, contrasted with how communities with unified governments operate. Clearly, opportunities exist to take Pulaski County’s good government and perhaps make it even better,” he commented.
  Unifying governments requires several steps and the law is designed to make it difficult to merge in order to ensure considerable thought goes into developing the formal plan of unified government (also known as the charter), Schmidt stated.
  Schmidt at the chamber forum will address what happens if merger occurs, including status of jobs currently held by public workers; what impact does merger have on the sale of alcoholic beverages, school districts and utilities; and, will tax rates go up or down?
  “The most important thing for everyone to keep in mind at this point is that unified government, if it does indeed occur, is a long way down the road,” Schmidt repeated.  “In the end, only voters, not SPCU nor locally elected officials, can approve or reject unification,” he emphasized.
“For now, we invite everyone in the community – the general public, elected officials and potential future candidates for public office to join us at The Center as we embark on what most likely will be an extensive community dialogue on the future of local government in Pulaski County,” Schmidt concluded.
 Unified governments in the county would dissolve city boundaries and create one government for the entire county. The exception is Eubank which straddles the Pulaski-Lincoln county line and by state law is not eligible to participate in a unified government.
According to law, Pulaski Fiscal Court, Somerset City Council and governing bodies of Burnside, Ferguson and Science Hill by ordinance would create an official Unified Government Commission made up of between 20 and 40 members to plan a structure for a unified city-county government. Somerset and Ferguson apparently would not participate and, according to Schmidt, “would not have a seat at the table.”
Pulaski Fiscal Court would appoint half the members of a Unified Government Commission and the remaining members would be appointed by participating cities, prorated on population. It is not clear at this point how lack of participation by Somerset, the largest city in the county, would affect the unification process.
Any type of merged governments must be approved by voters of Pulaski County.

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Results of unified government study to be released this week (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal

Article originally posted to the (Somerset) Commonwealth Journal’s web site http://www.somerset-kentucky.com/local/x1427967744/Results-of-unified-government-study-to-be-released-this-week

By Bill Mardis

Somerset — Findings in a 10-month study of feasibility of unified local governments in Pulaski County will be presented at 6 p.m. Thursday, January 23 at The Center for Rural Development. Elected officials, candidates for public office and the public are urged to attend the Somerset-Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce-sponsored event in a “Chamber after Hours” format.

Luke B. Schmidt, president of Louisville-based consulting firm L.B. Schmidt & Associates, LLC, will make a formal presentation on the study’s findings, according to Brook Ping, chair of Somerset-Pulaski County United (SPCU), a group of about 150 local business and community leaders.

“Release of the study’s findings has become a much-anticipated community event,” said Ping.  “SPCU’s focus during this entire endeavor has simply been to learn more about the potential benefits that unified government might offer our community.  SPCU’s mission is to improve our community and to improve economic development opportunities and this study represents our first step down this path for a better future,” Ping emphasized.

None of the study’s findings has been released up to now. However, a news release from SPCU said a broad base of the study includes an analysis of existing governmental structures in Pulaski County, an examination of select community unified government structures in the United States and an overview of how to form unified governments in Kentucky and Pulaski County.

SPCU has emphasized from the onset that the $35,000 study will not advocate unification of city and county governments; only determine the feasibility of unified governments. They have pointed out that Somerset, with its current population of 11,296, is the 33rd largest city in Kentucky. Unified, with a population of more than 63,000, Somerset, now a third-class city, would be the third largest city in the state, qualifying for 2nd-class status.

Ping pointed out that unification, if approved by voters, is a slow-moving procedure. He estimated it would take at least four years.

“Lots of questions have been raised about unified government and what it might mean to the community,” said Schmidt.  “Our presentation will begin to answer these questions with real data about the current form of government in Pulaski County, contrasted with how communities with unified governments operate.  Clearly, opportunities exist to take Pulaski County’s good government and perhaps make it even better,” he commented.

Unifying governments requires several steps and the law is designed to make it difficult to merge in order to ensure considerable thought goes into developing the formal plan of unified government (also known as the charter), Schmidt stated.

Schmidt at the chamber forum will address what happens when merger occurs, including such things as what happens to jobs currently held by public workers; what impact does merger have on the sale of alcoholic beverages, school districts and utilities; and, will tax rates go up or down?

“The most important thing for everyone to keep in mind at this point is that unified government, if it does indeed occur, is a long way down the road,” Schmidt repeated.  “In the end, only voters, not SPCU nor locally elected officials, can approve or reject unification,” he emphasized.

“For now, we invite everyone in the community –– the general public, elected officials and potential future candidates for public office –– to join us at The Center as we embark on what most likely will be an extensive community dialogue on the future of local government in Pulaski County,” Schmidt concluded.

A major stumbling block is Somerset’s refusal to participate in the study. Somerset City Council has directed its legal department to obtain whatever help necessary to protect the existence and boundaries of the city. Ferguson City Council also has adopted a resolution opting out of the study. Pulaski Fiscal Court has cooperated, paying about $12,000 as its share of the study’s cost. Other cities in the county generally have taken a wait-and-see attitude.

Unified governments in the county would dissolve city boundaries and create one government for the entire county. The exception is Eubank which straddles the Pulaski-Lincoln county line and by state law is not eligible to participate in a unified government.

According to law, Pulaski Fiscal Court, Somerset City Council and governing bodies of Burnside, Ferguson and Science Hill by ordinance would create an official Unified Government Commission made up of between 20 and 40 members to plan a structure for a unified city-county government. Somerset and Ferguson apparently would not participate and, according to Schmidt, “would not have a seat at the table.”

Pulaski Fiscal Court would appoint half the members of a Unified Government Commission and the remaining members would be appointed by participating cities, prorated on population. It is not clear at this point how lack of participation by Somerset, the largest city in the county, would affect the unification process.

Any type of merged governments must be approved by voters of Pulaski County.

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Officials announce commercial air service in Eastern Kentucky WYMT-TV (Hazard)

Article originally posted to the WYMT-TV (Hazard) web site on November 6, 2013 http://www.wkyt.com/wymt/home/headlines/Officials-announce-commercial-air-service-in-Eastern-Kentucky-230907141.html

(Click on the link above to view video news report)

 Officials announce commercial air service in Eastern Kentucky

By: Whitney Burks – Email

Posted: Wed 7:16 PM, Nov 06, 2013 

PIKEVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) – Wednesday was described as a monumental day for Pikeville and our region as officials announced the first passenger airline to serve Eastern Kentucky.

For years it has been a dream for many leaders in Pike County and the commonwealth.

“Commercial air service is terribly important in linking up particularly the business community with the rest of the world,” said Congressman Hal Rogers.

On Wednesday those leaders made the official announcement that the first passenger air service, Appalachian Air, to serve Eastern Kentucky is landing here at the Pikeville-Pike County Regional Airport, beginning with daily roundtrip flights to Nashville International Airport in March.

“As leaders of the great people of the Appalachian region we must stop living in the dreams of yesterday, wake up and understand the reality of today and find smart ways of making a better and brighter tomorrow,” said Pikeville City Manager Donovan Blackburn.

Governor Steve Beshear and Congressman Hal Rogers, both deemed instrumental in getting commercial air service here, say it is another step in moving the region forward and making it more accessible.

They say it is a great beginning to something they announced recently called Shaping Our Appalachian Region, or SOAR.

“Everybody took a lot of risk to get us to where we are today. That’s what it’s going to take to move our region ahead. We can do it. This is proof we can do it. It’s a vital part of moving our region ahead,” said Gov. Steve Beshear.

And they are hoping the air service will help business and tourism in the mountains take off.

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Taking flight; after months of speculation…Appalachian Air is a reality (Pikeville) Appalachian News-Express

Article originally posted to the (Pikeville) Appalachian News-Express web site on November 8, 2013 http://news-expressky.com/edition/

Taking Flight 

After months of speculation, debate and planning, Appalachian Air is a reality 

BY CHRIS ANDERSON

NEWS EDITOR 

Commercial air service in Pike County figuratively took off months ago with the awarding of a federal grant. On Wednesday, however, the service had its first literal takeoff.

At an unveiling event Wednesday afternoon at the Pikeville-Pike County Regional Airport, local, state and federal officials unveiled the county’s new commercial air service and also revealed the name for the service — Appalachian Air. About 300 people gathered in one of the airport’s hangars for the unveiling of the service, which saw officials such as Gov. Steve Beshear and Congressman Hal Rogers join local officials in lauding the establishment of the service and encouraging residents of the region to utilize the new airline.

Pikeville City Commissioner Jimmy Carter, who opened the event, said the establishment of commercial air service was the result of a group of determined local leaders who never gave up on their hopes for commercial air service. He said the launch of commercial air service, expected to begin carrying passengers in early March, will make the region accessible to the rest of the world.

“This is an opportunity to open the hills of the Appalachian region to the world,” Carter said.

Carter was joined on stage by several people who had a part in establishing the air service venture. Carter added that the air service is not a venture of chance, but one which officials, such as the ones onstage with him during theevent, believe will work and be successful.

“Trust me, this did not happen by accident or chance,” he said.

Pikeville City Manager Donovan Blackburn, while quoting iconic aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh, said the region’s elected and appointed officials have to stop “living in the dreams of yesterday” and “wake up and understand the reality of today.”

“We need to understand that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results simply does not work,” he said.

Blackburn detailed the steps taken by local officials to establish Appalachian Air. He said there have been several starts and stops, but those seeking to establish the service persevered and eventually were successful in luring an airline to the region — in Pike County’s case, Corporate Flight Management.

“Finally, after four contracts, here we are,” Blackburn said. “Through the labor and cooperative spirit of many, we were successful.”

State Sen. Ray S. Jones II spoke about the apparent support for the commercial air service initiative. He said in spite of those who doubt the service will work, he believes it is a worthwhile venture.

“I think the turnout, if you look around this room, it’s clear that the people of Eastern Kentucky support commercial air service,” Jones said. “We’ve always had people that were skeptical about Eastern Kentucky.”

Jones said there have been doubters for such ventures as the Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of Pikeville; Pikeville National Bank; and the continued growth of Pikeville Medical Center. He said those doubters have been silenced by those ventures’ successes and, he believes, they will be silenced again on commercial air service.

“I think when we look back a few years from now, the naysayers will be proven wrong yet again,” Jones said. “I think that this will be a hugely successful undertaking.”

Jones also addressed the airport board’s near-unanimous support of the commercial air service venture. He did not shy away from the fact that the venture was not universally accepted as viable and approved.

“When this project first came to my attention, it was pretty quickly obvious that there some folks who were naysayers, who were skeptics,” he said. “It’s okay to be skeptical of a new idea. It  is not okay to be an obstructionist.”

Jones went on to commend the members of the Pikeville-Pike County Airport Board who voted in favor of the contracts between the City of Pikeville, the airport board and the airline to establish the commercial service.

Absent from Jones’ recognition of the individual members of the airport board was member Brent Wagner, who voted against entering into the contracts.

Rogers, who began his remarks by complimenting Pike County for its resilience in establishing the air service, said the establishment of the service was both difficult and complicated. He complimented local officials for their workon the venture and said the dedication of those working on the initiative “typifies the kind of attitude that I love about the mountains of Kentucky.”

“I’ve learned one thing about Pike County and Pikeville: When you people set your mind to something, get out of the way, and this is one of those big times,” he said.

Beshear said the new service will breed opportunity for the region, which has traditionally been one of the most difficult to reach. He said many facets of the region will benefit from it.

“This daily service will support the coal industry and existing initiatives related to the health and higher education sectors of Eastern Kentucky, and even more importantly it’s going to open up new opportunities just like a new road or highway would do,” the governor said. “It’s part of our ongoing efforts to invest not only in the physical infrastructure of this region, but also in the people infrastructure, the human capital, in this region.”

The new air service is expected to depart Pikeville seven days per week upon its anticipated launch on March 3, utilizing 19-passenger Jetstream J32 turboprop airplanes. As part of the contract to lure the service, local officials agreed to a revenue guarantee agreement with the airline to compensate for unsold tickets.

Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Chairman Danny Vanhoose said he is confident that if the turnout for Wednesday’s event is an indication of the initiative’s support, funding may not be an issue. He also said the air service is an important part of the future economy of the region.

“Certainly, this is a key component to economic development, economic diversification,” Vanhoose said. “This is certainly something that is an absolute critical need that we’ve had.”

Airport board Chairman Bill Hickman spoke only briefly during Wednesday’s event, but used his time to encourage those in attendance to support the service.

“Buy tickets, please,” Hickman asked, drawing laughter from the crowd.

By

Launching of commercial “Appalachian Air” Service in Pike County Williamson (WV) Daily News

Article originally posted to the Williamson Daily News web site on October 6, 2013 http://williamsondailynews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?avis=LO&date=20131112&category=news&lopenr=311129973&Ref=AR 

Launching of commercial “Appalachian Air” Service in Pike County

Commercial flights to begin on March 3, 2014

by Rachel Baldwin rbaldwin@civitasmedia.com

PIKEVILLE, Ky. – What was once though to be only a pipe dream and an impossible feat is now becoming a reality for the residents of the Tug Valley area who hate the thought of traveling to Charleston, WV or Lexington, Ky. in order to board a commercial flight.

According to Air Service Project Consultant Luke Schmidt, March 3, 2014, is the date the first flight is scheduled to depart. Pikeville is just one step away from important destinations like Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C., Dallas, plus many other destinations. More importantly, for the first time, companies interested in investing in this region will now find it much easier to get here, which will in turn make the location more appealing in a business sense.

Schmidt was quoted as saying that access to the global air service system is what the new service is all about, commenting that for example, coal company executives will be able to board a plane in Pikeville and after only two stops, meet with potential new markets in places such as China, India and Latin America.

Schmidt was joined at the ribbon cutting ceremony held last week at the airport by Ky. Governor Steve Beshear, U.S. Congressman Harold “Hal” Rogers, and several other state and local officials. The new Appalachian Air plane was unveiled during the festivities and was described as a sleek, high-performance British Aerospace BAE Jetstream 32 plane, and those in authority permitted 19 individuals to take a short, maiden flight.

Congressman Rogers was one of those who took the flight and said that it was truly a great day for not only Pike County but for all of Southeastern Kentucky and it’s surrounding areas, and encouraged people to utilize the service to make it a success.

Appalachian Air will provide one, round-trip flight every day of the week between the Pikeville-Pike County Airport and the Nashville, Tennessee International Airport. Once in Nashville, passengers may link with connecting flights that travel non-stop to over 50 major destinations in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The trip from Pikeville to Nashville is expected to take approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes.

For years, officials have been working toward bringing commercial flights to the local region and feel that this service will provide many conveniences to those that call Eastern Kentucky home.

Rules are being implemented that explain how passengers flying out of Pikeville will undergo security screenings before departing and will not be required to repeat the process once they arrive in Nashville. The airport authority will also offer free parking, as well as short check-in and security lines. All public charter flights are regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, which means that the federal government places strict limitations on the cancellation of public charter flights, as well as the fact that Appalachian Air passenger funds must be held in an escrow account approved by the government until the flight is complete.

For more information on the future flight plans for Pike County, you may visit their website at http://appalachianair.com.