Governor signs bills to support aviation maintenance program and veterans nursing facility – WV MetroNews | CPT PPP Coverage

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Gov. Jim Justice signed bills today providing $25 million to bolster the aviation maintenance training program at Pierpont Community and Technical College plus $1 million to help the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility.

Both were surplus appropriations approved during last week’s legislative special session.

The $25 million at Pierpont is for construction of a new 70,000 square-foot hangar and classroom to house the aviation maintenance training program based at the North Central West Virginia Airport.

The proposed design features two high bay hangers, aviation-related specialty labs, including shops for turbine and reciprocating engine overhauls, flight controls and hydraulics, lecture classrooms, and a learning resource and testing center. Pierpont’s Advanced Welding program will also have shops and classrooms within the facility.

The new facility would allow Pierpont’s program enough space to add 70 additional students to the program, which has a current maximum of 130.

“One of the most important things that this day speaks to me is the recognition of the state that higher education is not just a private good,” said Dr. Milan Howard, president of Pierpont.

“You know we’ve had that debate — higher ed is a public or private good? It’s a public good, and the evidence of that is this significant investment in the future of aerospace technology in West Virginia.

Pierpont’s Aviation Maintenance Technology program provides training in aircraft technology to prepare students to be qualified to take the Federal Aviation Administration Part 147 tests.

Offering a two-year associate degree and one-year certificates, students learn to perform maintenance, remove and replace components, troubleshoot, and repair aircraft systems while developing plans to analyze and develop solutions for aircraft problems using approved maintenance materials.

Justice, who appeared with his well-known dog against the backdrop of an airport hangar, said he is proud of the state’s investment in the program.

“We’re going to sign a bill here that’s going to perpetuate even more goodness — more employment, more goodness, more opportunity,” Justice said.

Senate President Craig Blair, R-Berkeley, also said he’s pleased by the investment in the aviation program.

“I’m excited that we’re here today, more than excited, excited for north central West Virginia, excited for the industry that’s had to wait a little bit too long, as far as I’m concerned, for this to take place,” Blair said.

“I’m excited for the students especially. I’m not an academic, I’m an applied — I learn with my hands. There’s a lot of us in the state of West Virginia just like that, and that’s what this school does. It provides learning and job opportunities for people like me.”

At the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility in Clarksburg, representatives said the $1 million state appropriation would help provide much-needed resources like long-term care beds for the entire facility. Officials at the facility said the beds currently in use have been there since 2007.

“So we’re looking forward to being able to purchase long-term care beds that are a little bit different from hospital beds and are more comfortable and do a lot of things for safety — and safety for the staff as well,” said Sherri Reed, administrator of the nursing facility.

Justice again said the public investment would go to good use.

“We owe everything we have to these great men and women that have served this country and given everything under the sun for all of us,” he said.