STUCKEY - A group of people, including the local legislative delegation, as well as area officials and interested citizens are working to bring about repairs and possibly an expansion of the airport as an economic stimulus to the area.
The airport was an important draw in getting Wellman to come to the area. Then Wellman did a great deal in improvements and maintenance. But with the decline of Wellmans, the airport has not been tended well, and it is only used by agricultural aircraft and a few private planes.
The first step in the revitalization process has already been completed, as the airport had fallen into legal limbo, with the original board of directors all deceased. The title has now been cleared and Williamsburg County is now the owner. Four new directors have been named to handle the legalities. These are: John Sims, Herman Parker (former Wellman pilot), James Brown and John Stuckey.
Also the state has patched the potholes on the paved runway.
At a meeting of the interest group with Paul Werts of the South Carolina Department of Commerce, Aeronautics Division and Senator Yancey McGill was recently held to discuss the next steps. The current 3,300-foot runway is short by modern standards and it needs to be extended to between four and five thousand feet – which will require cooperation of adjacent property owners to do. There is also a possibility of widening the runway as well.
The landing and takeoff approaches will also have to be cleared of trees for safety.
The Town of Stuckey is also working on a sewer project to benefit local employment. Mayor David Rose said that the House of Raeford, a meat processing plant located on Battery Park Road, is working at full capacity, and cannot expand without a sewer connection. “At one point the company was talking about closing a plant in North Carolina and moving its production here, but we lost out, because the plant did not have any room to expand its own sewage treatment, and there is no town connection,” he said.
“What we are looking at,” said Rose, “Is interconnection with Hemingway and Johnsonville. We don’t have a lot more capacity with the Stuckey sewage system, but Johnsonville has a tremendous capacity, because they were built to take care of Wellman, and that need is now much reduced.”
“The sewage systems could be interconnected much the same way as we are with the Williamsburg water system. An automatic valve will adjust for pressure drops on our side or on theirs, so that the water can flow from one side to the other. It’s all metered, so we know who supplied the water, but there are automatic adjustments for any shortages either way.”
“If we can get a good sewer line to House of Raeford, they will be able to expand production and hire more workers from this area.”
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