CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Personnel committee members at Yeager Airport are recommending assistant director Terry Sayre as their new leader, following the news that came Saturday of former airport executive director Rick Atkinson’s retirement.
“I think the board felt like he’s a known entity. He’s someone they’ve all dealt with in the past and they have confidence that he’s up to the job,” said airport spokesman Mike Plante after the committee’s meeting on Monday.
The full board will make a final decision on the new interim director Wednesday.
Atkinson told MetroNews the last four months were “very trying and taxing” on him after the Mar. 12 landslide disaster that destroyed several homes, a church and displaced a number of Charleston residents.
“I just think that it’s a good opportunity to have a different perspective. There needs to be fresh energy for the challenges ahead,” Atkinson said after a 16-year career at the airport.
Sayre has been heavily involved in the work related to the airport’s overrun area, dealing with the FAA and emergency management crews after the incident. He has also worked with contractors, engineers and attorneys involved in a lawsuit that the airport filed in May against 20 design and construction companies in connection with their runway extension project.
“He has the leadership capabilities to do this job,” said Plante. “Terry headed up the Metro Drug Unit as a police officer for a number of years in Charleston and moved on in other capacities in government before landing at the airport about seven years ago.”
Work on the overrun area began Monday due to the approval of a judge’s decision last week to allow the deconstruction and repair of the hillside.
So far, crews removed a section of e-mass block off the Coonskin Drive side of the e-mass bed, which connects to a haul road where vehicles can get to the top of the site.
“They need room there to be able to maneuver the larger equipment to get in and out and they need to get the e-mass blocks off, so they started in that corner,” said Plante.
Crews continued with that work Monday evening.