PARIS, Ky. (LEX 18) — Horse farm owner Patrick Sniley says he’ll do everything in his power to prevent the government from using eminent domain to take his property and use it as part of a proposal to build an airport at Bluegrass Station.
“I’ve got a 250-year-old tree in my front yard,” Sniley said. “I’m going to tie myself to it, let them come and remove me.”
Smiley is one of the many farm owners who have been alarmed by news of the project.
Stephen Collins, the director of Bluegrass Station, said he understands why people are reacting the way they are.
“There’s a lot of pain locally for people who are directly affected, there’s more pain for the people who would be affected if we don’t do it, the thousands of people who do work here, the thousands of people who could work here,” Collins said, responding to a question about if negative public feedback could kill the project.
If the airport isn’t built, he anticipates Kentuckians will lose their jobs as the private companies that are part of Bluegrass Station move elsewhere.
“It’s not automatic but it’s pretty predictable,” Collins said.
There are 400 jobs associated with the current helicopter hangers which are at Bluegrass Station. He expects the airport would bring 2000 extra jobs to the Commonwealth.
The airport would serve an estimated six military flights a month in addition to about 20 general aviation flights a day. Many of those military aircraft would be C-130s, which would spend months at Bluegrass Station as they are modified for specific missions, Collins said.
Right now, workers at Bluegrass Station can only make alterations to helicopters.
Located on Bluegrass Station now is a facility that warehouses materials used to respond to domestic terrorism threats. It’s a wide range of materials, from ambulances to body bags.
Right now, if they need to fly those materials across the country, they would first need to drive it to an airport. Giving an example of how the airport could be useful, Collins said it would be far more efficient if they flew the materials from the Bluegrass Station property.
This has all come as a surprise to Sniley.
“I feel bamboozled, and really kind of violated,” Sniley said.
Another farmer, Dustin Mallory, lives across the street from the project’s proposed site. He worries about the flight path of planes.
“It’s going to affect us pretty greatly,” Mallory said. “It’s going to give us hazardous situations when we take the horses from the field to the barn.
He also worries about how simply the quiet would be taken away with the airport.
Both Mallory and Collins remember a plan about six years ago to build an airport. They thought the community outcry had successfully killed it once and for all. They were wrong.
Collins explained the proposal is back - with changes.
“Back then it was thought that economic development was a justification, it is not, this is national needs, state needs, regional needs, people needs,” Collins said.
The airport would play a role in protecting America's national security.
Sniley’s property wouldn't be taken as part of an initial government land purchase, according to the map in the 2022 report. But, it could be taken later depending on what would be needed for future development spurred by the airport.
Of a top concern for Sniley is how he says the project was kept “hush hush” in that the project has been in the works for years but never publicized - saying no notice has been given to neighbors.
“It’s just a miscommunication, basically,” Collins responded. “The report has been online since early last year. It outlines the phases of outreach... and we're not there yet.”
The report he referenced was put together by consultants and presented to state lawmakers.
“We’re out here working, we don’t have time to look at house bills,” Mallory said.
Asked if feedback from the public could influence the details of the project, Collins said it could.
“Now there's wiggle in terms of the location, you know, it can wiggle a little bit on the map,” Collins said. “It probably won't change the technical pieces of it, you know - an airport is an airport.”
Collins said eminent domain was the reason he lost part of his own farm so an interstate could be built.
“I have a lot of empathy for what they are going through,” he said, referring to the station’s neighbors, “But I also have empathy and duty associated with the mission.”
EARLIER:
According to a report presented in late 2022 to the Kentucky General Assembly, the state, or developer in connection to the state, is initially expected to acquire 2,000 acres for the project. The report states that up to 2,000 more acres could be obtained later, depending on market conditions.
To acquire the land, the government would use eminent domain. It means that even if landowners don't want to sell their land, they'll be forced to.
As outlined in the report, the runway would be 7,800 feet long, nearly 800 feet longer than the main runway at Bluegrass Airport in Lexington.
According to the report, the project would create 3,000 to 6,000 permanent jobs and include 1.4 billion in airfield and airpark infrastructure and development. New buildings would include space for defense contractors, aerospace companies, and warehouses.
State lawmakers allocated $500,000 toward work on the project in the 2022-23 fiscal year.
