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Yeager board gives Sayre permanent nod

Terry Sayre addressed the board after being voted executive director of Yeager Airport Wednesday.
Terry Sayre addressed the board after being voted executive director of Yeager Airport Wednesday.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A decision Wednesday to make Terry Sayre the new executive director at Yeager Airport in Charleston was not unanimous. Several airport board members voted against the move.

Sayre went into the meeting thinking he would emerge as the operation’s interim director following former executive Rick Atkinson’s decision to retire effective this week, but instead, board members led by former state Adjutant General Allan Tackett pushed to have Sayre appointed for the permanent job. The motion passed but there were five members who voted against it, saying they felt uneasy about a rushed decision.

The state’s busiest airport is on its heels these days after a massive collapse of a manmade hillside hooked to one of its runways. The material is still moving today as Yeager tries to buy out property owners below to get the area deconstructed and repaired. There are also questions about some of the money spent in response to the collapse. The board decided Wednesday to review all of the expenditures. The board also learned Wednesday the airport’s reserve fund is minimal.

After the meeting Sayre said the permanent appointment makes sense in light of all that’s happening.

“There are a whole lot of decisions that need to be made out here all the time–in a very timely manner especially with the (hillside) collapse…just all of the problems that can cause. Decisions have to be made in a timely manner,” he said.

All three Kanawha County commissioners attended and spoke at the meeting in favor of Sayre. The commission controls the majority of the appointments on the board. The majority of board members representing the City of Charleston on the board voted against Sayre being named permanent director. They said it was nothing against Sayre personally, but they were concerned of making an emotional, quick decision.

Kanawha County Commission President Kent Carper said the commission has had to save the airport twice (over its history) and with the hillside collapse it would have to save it a third time. Carper also said Yeager workers “need to understand we have to turn things around.” Carper was asked to elaborate after the meeting.

“I’m not going to talk about the past. I’ll talk about the future, but there are going to be some changes up here,” Carper promised. “I think there just need to be some changes. We just need to tighten the belt across the board. I think the public expects that.”

Yeager has bought out 17 properties in the area below the collapse with ongoing negotiations with a few other owners. It’s spending money gained through the refinancing of previous debt with the hopes of winning in court against the companies that built the hillside and insurance companies. It’s also expecting some reimbursement from FEMA.

Sayre will also have to deal with questions surrounding $650,000 from four checks for property purchases and easements. The board questions if the checks ran through the right channels. A total review of all post-collapse expenditures will take place. Sayre’s signature is on a few of the checks. He was asked about it after Wednesday’s meeting.

“I think there are just so many moving parts. I handled some things, Rick Atkinson handled other things. We’ll just have to wait to see what the finance committee and our attorney figures out,” he said.

Yeager faced more than its fair share of battles over the years in trying to be a viable airport in a competitive industry but the massive hillside collapse may prove to be its biggest challenge. Sayre said it’s starting to have an impact on everyone.

“Yeager Airport has great employees, I just think everybody is getting a little tired, but we’re all together,” he said. “I expect us all to work together and move forward together and hopefully someday get back to just running a normal operation around here.”

Sayre will be paid $130,000 a year.





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