Starke County Airport Limping Along After Storms

The Starke County Airport is back in working condition, but Airport Manager Pam Beharry says the airport has been crippled. The main hangar door is still damaged and the roof is unstable, and she says they still need to repair their fence as well. Further, she says the destroyed tee hangars prevent them from making money by housing planes, and the only source of income is the sale of fuel.

“I mean, the revenues have stopped. Now our jet fuel is the only revenue coming in right now,” said Beharry. “Oh well – just be thankful nobody got hurt, that’s the main thing.”

Beharry says they are currently waiting for companies to come out and present estimates on repairs. She says that because its an emergency case, the airport won’t have to request bids for the work, and can instead seek at least two estimates. The airport has been cleaned and the stray sheet metal collected, and she says they’ll slowly, but surely, get back to normal condition.

The fate of the five planes that were totaled from the storm will be up to their insurance carriers, and can either be purchased by the pilot or disassembled and salvaged.