Wed, Jun 28, 2017
No Site For Replacement Airport Identified With St. Marys Closing Next Month
When the St. Marys Municipal Airport closes for good next month, it will leave Camden County, GA without a airport, and no prospects for another one anytime soon.
St. Marys airport (4J6) has been targeted for closure since September 11, 2001 due to its proximity to the Kings Bay submarine base. The county and the federal government finally came to an agreement to shutter the airport, and its runways will be permanently closed July 14 ... though a letter sent by the Navy to pilots saying they would have until September 8th to remove their airplanes from the airport. But it is an open question whether they will be able to use the runway after July 14.
The Brunswick News reports that the Georgia Department of Transportation is looking for a new location for an airport in Camden County, according to Camden County Commission chairman Jimmy Starline. But Starline said that the new airport will need a "sponsor" to accept responsibility for airport management, as well as the property in the airport safety zones. And that sponsorship comes with a $3 million price tag.
Starline said it was a big mistake for the city to agree to close the airport without having a new one ready to go, or at least firm plans for a replacement. "I don't think we should have gone one day without an airport, " he told the paper.
More than 10 years ago, the FAA funded a study which identified nine potential sites for a new airport. Bob Nutter, who was the only city council member to oppose closing the airport with no replacement plans, told The Brunswick News that the city considered three sites, selected one, and then later rejected that site because of wetland issues. The other sites were never seriously considered, he said, and he said the city will "blow an opportunity" by allowing the airport to close without a new one ready to go. "Once St. Marys Airport closes, you can kiss a municipal airport goodbye," he said.
Estimates are that Camden County will be without an airport for a minimum of five years.
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