Congressman Hal Rogers (R) of Kentucky told those gathered at a reception at University of Pikeville’s Booth Auditorium that a $750,000 federal aviation grant has been approved for take off.
The formal announcement made by the congressman follows efforts made by him along with a partnership between the Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and Pikeville, Pike County Regional Airport and the City of Pikeville.
“We worked with them on getting a small airports grant out of Washington which has been successful and we have tried to help them to locate a carrier that would want to fly in and out of here and to work with the T.S.A. – Traffic Security Administration,” said Rogers.
Officials said it will help the region’s economy.
“For business administrative folks who are considering building a location here or expanding to this part of the world, it will make it much easier for them to get here. for the current business community throughout the region it will make it much easier when they have to go someplace to visit a customer, visit a corporateoffice or a home office,” said Luke Schmidt, a consultant brought in who has recently worked with an airport in Elizabethtown.
“Years in the past we have had to leave to go to places like Lexington and Huntington and Charleston,” said Pikeville City Manager Donovan Blackburn.
“Now what we are seeing is the trend in reverse, people are now coming here to the events at the east Kentucky expo center, the hospital.”
The reality is that we are going to have the opportunity to attract businessesthat we would have never attracted before>
The congressman said it will also help anyone just wanting to take a trip.
“It will be a huge convenience for people that live in this immediate area,” said Rogers.