Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, March 22, 1990                   TAG: 9003222120
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MARK LAYMAN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BLACKSBURG HAS STAKE IN AIRPORT

The Roanoke Regional Airport Commission learned at its meeting Wednesday that 56 of the 498 passengers surveyed March 8 were residents of Roanoke County or Vinton, 51 were residents of Roanoke and 51 were residents of Blacksburg.

Virginia Tech also is one of the biggest corporate or institutional users of the airport, the survey found.

Of all the passengers surveyed, 280 said they were traveling on business. Thirteen of those were from Virginia Tech. Another 13 worked for the U.S. government, while nine worked for Westvaco, eight for General Electric and six for the Kroger Co.

Corporate travelers who were returning home from Western Virginia were asked where they had been. Forty-four said Roanoke, 36 said Roanoke County or Vinton, 25 said Blacksburg, 12 said Salem and 11 said Covington.

Jacqueline Shuck, executive director of the airport, said the percentage of passengers from Blacksburg was a little higher in this survey because of spring break at the university. But, she said, "The statistics stay pretty constant. . . . We have a lot of passengers from that area - an awful lot."

Roanoke County Supervisor Bob Johnson, one of the county's representatives on the airport commission, said the survey shows Blacksburg has a big stake in the Roanoke Regional Airport. Because of that, the town should consider joining the airport commission, he said.

Roanoke and Roanoke County are the only localities on the airport commission now. The city has three seats on the commission; the county has two.

Roanoke owned the airport for nearly 60 years. Roanoke County bought into the commission when it was formed in 1987, agreeing to pay $2.6 million over 10 years and to share any operating deficit. So far there has been no deficit.

Salem chipped in $1 million to help pay for the new terminal, but didn't join the commission.

The agreement turning over control of the airport to the commission allows other Western Virginia localities to join if they are willing to share the cost of improvements and operations. But Roanoke would always have a majority of seats on the commission.

Airport commission Chairman Robert Herbert, the city manager of Roanoke, said Blacksburg has been approached in the past about joining the commission.