HomeMy WebLinkAbout01 07 1988 Letters to the EditorThursday, January 7, 1988 ,Vero Beach, Fla., Press -Journal 7A
Opinion
Letters To The Editor
Airport Panelist
Explains Record
Editor, Press -Journal:
I have tried to refrain from par-
ticipating in Sebastian's favorite
pastime of public bickering, but
Bob Quick's Dec. 28 letter to the
editor was so inaccurate and unfair
I felt compelled to respond.
We should remember we are dis-
cussing a facility over 40 years old
that has received only minimal
maintenance during this long
period.
The Sebastian Municipal Airport
Master Plan is a phased plan cover-
ing the 20-year period from 1987 to
2007. It attempts to project -opera-
tions and number of based aircraft
in five-year increments and match
facilities to the projections.
The number of based aircraft is
expected to increase from 35 to
,161 based on a 17 percent increase
per year planning factor. This
appears reasonable in view of pop-
ulation projections for Sebastian
which go from, Sj604 in 1985 to
over 40,000 in 2005. .
I would like to avoid the semanti-
cal argument as to what does or
does not constitute expansion. But
I'd like to say that the petition re-
cently circulated by Mr. Quick and
others does not restrict anything
now contained in the current
master plan except installation of
additional taxiways, runway lights
or taxiway lights.
These items do not expand air-
port capacity but were included in
the master plan to make the airport
safer. Making these elements sub-
ject to the awkward and slow proc-
ess of a public referendum appears
to conflict with the city's responsi-
bility under the quitclaim deed and
could constitute possible liability
problems despite the disclaimer in
the petition.
Finally, I wish to reply to Mr.
Quick's assertion that "according
to Councilman Bob McCarthy,
almost all the board members are
pilots and plane owners and have a
conflict of interest as a supposedly
impartial advisory board. McCar-
thy says they are trying to set
policy by pushing through airport
expansion instead of just advising
the council."
The Sebastian Airport Advisory
Board is comprised as follows:
Members and alternate 8
Pilots 4
Active pilots 3
Aircraft owners 2
Others 4
To suggest members of the
board have some sort of ulterior
motive in perpetrating a massive
airport expansion is absurd and an
insult to our individual integrity.
Every member is "his own man"
and certainly not dominated by any
sinister lobby. It could be said we
recognize the airport as a distinct
asset to the city and would like to
see it modernized and better main-
tained.
Secondly, we provide advice to
the City Council, but they have the
deciding vote with no obligation to
do as we advise. Mr. McCarthy's
problem with the board is that our
views do not necessarily coincide
with his and for that reason he
would like to see it disbanded; an-
other version of "shooting the mes-
senger."
I do not intend to further belabor
the point, but felt the record
should be set straight in view of
Councilman McCarthy's remarks.
He can certainly be excused for not
being better informed, since he has
been extremely busy circulating a
petition on behalf of a special inter-
est group.
Roger L. Cooper,
Vice Chairman, Sebastian
Airport Advisory Board
Airport Plan
Facts Misrepresented
Editor, Press -Journal:
Much has been said about the
Sebastian Municipal Airport and
its master plan.. As citizens of
Sebastian, you have the right to
read the master plan, which is
available at City Hall.
The information currently being
circulated by some people is either
inaccurate, misunderstood or just
plain lies.
The October 1987 master plan
draft includes the following
expansion plans:
• Currently there are approxi-
mately 50 airplanes parked at the
airport. Over the next 20 years, the
plan is to construct parking areas
for 120 airplanes.
• Increase auto parking from
the current 84, spaces to 94 spaces.
• Currently there are eight air-
planes hangared at the airport. It
is planned for private enterprise to
construct hangars for 24 airplanes.
• It is planned to improve the 50
lights we now have and to add -12
new runway lights. The plan in-
cludes adding two PAPI lights, 38
taxiway lights and to light one
wind cone.
• In Stage III (1997-2007), it is
planned to abandon 2,000 feet of
taxiway and construct 2,500 feet of
lighted taxiway. We are talking
about taxiways, not runways.
• For the existing runways, it is
planned to repave one and repair
the other. The markings on both
runways and taxiways are to be
improved and repainted.
There are no plans to purchase
more property, no plans to build
more runways or to make existing
runways longer, wider or stronger.
There are no plans for facilities de-
signed for jet aircraft. We do not
have enough room to be a jetport.
The airport is self-supporting.
None of the maintenance costs nor
improvement costs come from tax
dollars.
In the next 20 years, the city of
Sebastian is forecast to grow from
a population of approximately 8,-
000 to approximately 40,000. The
airport use will grow about the
same. We must plan for it.
And now you have the rest of the
story.
Edwina VanAntwerp
Sebastian