Kentucky Regional Airport Towers Could Face Closure from Budget Cuts

WKMS | By Shelly Baskin

Published February 25, 2013 at 11:09 AM CST

The control tower at Barkley Regional Airport in Paducah could be closed in the next few months if automatic federal budget cuts occur on March 1st. The Federal Aviation Administration would lose about $600 million dollars from the so-called "sequestration." In response the FAA released a list of 100 facilities, including Barkley Regional, Owensboro-Daviess County, and Bowman Field in Kentucky that could be closed. Barkley Regional Manager Richard Roof says the fields themselves would remain open, but there would be delays in bad weather while other towers guided planes in. Roof says the closures are not guaranteed, and says there are many possibilities for the future of Barkley Regional.

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Shelly Baskin

Shelly Baskin works in MSU's Office of Regional Outreach and is a graduate student in Occupational Safety and Health. A roustabout from Memphis, Tennessee, Shelly first found his way into WKMS through the newsroom back in 2011 through luck, charm and force of will. Though he left news for another position, he still enjoys working on independent radio projects and volunteering for the station. He’s an avid disc golfer and occasional real golfer and is terrible at both. A lover of all things musical, Shelly is always ready to hear something new and unique.

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