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.

FMI: www.aopa.org, www.bcgov.net, www.hiltonheadairport.com