Warring Factions Drive County Administrator Over The Edge
By ANN Associate Editor Mark Sletten
If you work for the
county of Beaufort in South Carolina, you don't want to mention
anything about the possibility of lengthening the runway at Hilton
Head Island Airport -- it could cost you your job.
According to The Island Packet newspaper, county administrator
Gary Kubic sent a memo to deputy Buzz Boehm, in which Kubic
said if any county employee talked of the possibility the runway at
Hilton Head Island Airport could be lengthened, he or she would be
subject to "immediate termination."
Why all the fuss? Apparently Kubic is tired of being in a verbal
crossfire.
On the one side are island residents worried how a longer
runway, and the ensuing larger aircraft using it, might disturb the
native island property. On the other side are the residents who
worry the current 4,300 foot runway might become insufficient
should carriers providing scheduled service do away with their
smaller aircraft.
When residents who thought lengthening the runway might be
good for their community raised the option before the county
council, the uproar could be heard clear across the sound.
Kubic says he doesn't want to hear the arguments anymore.
"I'm tired of it," Kubic said at a recent council meeting. "This
continuous argument that does nothing but break apart the
confidence of residents and public officials has to end."
An interesting illustration of the angst among community members
is the issue of noise. The airport sits amid groves of trees
surrounded by residential neighborhoods.
Airport officials, responding to local residents' complaints of
noise, established a "hotline" on which local residents may call to
complain. That hotline is featured prominently on the airport's
website.
Interestingly, according to AOPA Airport Support Network
volunteer Patty Blackmon, when the calls were tabulated by phone
number, it was discovered some 90 percent of them originated from
one residence -- that of one Steve Baer, a vocal proponent of
closing the airport.
Still, the county, at airport officials' urging, hired Wilbur
Smith Associates of Columbia, SC to conduct a $350,000 (partially
funded by the FAA) noise study of the airport. Blackmon says the
firm conducted the study at one of the island's busiest times --
during the annual Verizon Heritage Golf Tournament, when many
players and fans use their personal aircraft to travel to the
island. They even wired Baer's house for sound. (The photo below
shows the five locations where noise was measured.)
The result? According to Blackmon, the study shows noise
generated by Hilton Head Island Airport falls into acceptable
parameters. Airport opponents disagree, however... claiming the
study was conducted on the wrong days, at the wrong times, and the
wrong places.
Hanging in the balance of any decision regarding the airport's
fate is money... a lot of it.
The airport commissioned
a new tower in 2004, mostly funded with FAA grant money. In fact, a
slide presentation found on Beaufort County's website showing
planning information indicates the local government has taken some
$16 million in FAA grant money for airport improvements. If those
regional carriers stop serving the airport, there won't be a need
for a tower. And the loss of commercial service might give those
seeking to close the airport the ammunition they need.
If the airport were to close however, the local taxpayers could
be responsible to pay back that $16 million. But even that doesn't
seem to be deterring some.
According to Blackmon, city mayor Tom Peeples has asked county
planners if there were provisions to pay back the FAA; The Island
Packet reports Kubic is studying the idea.
Should the airport close, it would be a victory for Baer
and his followers... but local residents may not realize
the full impact of closing the airport, aside from what it
would cost to pay back the FAA.
County officials likely won't want to tell them, either... for
fear of losing their jobs.
ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (04.15.24)
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