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Yeager board votes to buy out lease with FBO after federal plea

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Yeager Airport is getting out of its lease with its fixed base operator, Executive Air.

The Yeager board voted Monday to exercise its buyout provision in the agreement.

Terry Sayre

“This is a business decision that will allow the Airport to continue towards its’ long-term goals for the airport. This does not impact the flying public, and will only improve the experience of general aviation visitors to CRW,” a statement from the airport board said.

The move comes after the May 3 federal court guilty plea by Executive Air President Scott Miller in connection with storing hazardous waste without a permit.

Yeager Director Terry Sayre said after Miller’s plea last month that Yeager took the unlawful activity “very seriously.” Monday, he said the buyout decision had to do with Yeager pursuing a different business model where it would become its own fixed base operator.

“It gives us the opportunity to have control of part of our destiny, the fuel prices here, and it would help us negotiate better deals with airlines,” Sayre said.

Executive Air, which Sayre said has had the FBO contract at Yeager for about 30 years, has been in charge of fueling and servicing planes at Yeager. It also takes care of several hangars on the general aviation side of the airport. Sayre said Monday it’s becoming more common for airports the size of Yeager to take over those operations.

“It’s been a trend for airports our size to operate their own FBO and I think that’s the direction we are trying to head here,” Sayre said.

Yeager is currently working closely with The Robert C. Byrd Institute for Advanced Flexible Manufacturing (RCBI) at Marshall University on an upcoming feasibility study on a possible aviation school to be located at Yeager. Sayre said Monday’s move fits with the airport’s master plan.

“It helps us with that to accomplish some of the goals in that and help develop some other land in that part of the airport that has been underutilized,” he said.

According to federal prosecutors in the Miller case, Executive Air’s business at Yeager produced hazardous waste. The company ended up with 27 55-gallon drums over what it was allowed to store. The drums contained approximately 1,700 more kilograms of hazardous waste.

Instead of hiring a company to properly dispose of the waste, Miller had Executive Air workers move the drums, first to a farm outside of Charleston, and then to a building in Charleston. The initial move happened in the middle of the night, federal prosecutors said.

Criminal investigators with the federal EPA found the drums in late 2015. The state DEP issued a number of violations and eventually entered a consent order with the company.

Miller is scheduled to be sentenced July 19. He faces up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

Sayre said Yeager has had a good relationship with Miller and his company but it’s time for a change.

“Our intentions are to be fair with Executive Air and move on,” Sayre said.

The lease buyout option means there’s 60 days left in the agreement. A formula under the lease that will be negotiated during the 60-day period will determine what Yeager will pay for the buyout.





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