Oct. 18--HICKORY -- A city plan to make its airport a money-maker again, rather than a money drain, is already meeting opposition.
The staff-written plan, which includes closing a secondary runway to provide space for more hangars, building a fueling station for aircraft and renovations to the airport terminal, was on the Hickory City Council's Tuesday agenda but the council postponed action on it.
Most of the proposed projects stem from recommendations made last year by a council-appointed airport task force. The council formed the task force a month after the airport's last commercial carrier, Delta, pulled out of Hickory, citing too few passengers.
The city has lost federal money and tax income from aircraft that were based at the airport but left. In addition, city officials say, they face a $2.3 million repair to the secondary runway if they keep it open.
At Mayor Rudy Wright's suggestion, the council delayed voting on the plan and asked staff to first schedule a November public hearing on the recommendations. Council members Sally Fox, Z. Ann Hoyle and Jill Patton opposed the postponement.
Several people who had signed up to speak to the council about the airport plan addressed council members anyway, all of them in opposition to it.
The comments illustrated how controversial the plan may be.
Chip Canupp, a private pilot, urged the council to keep the airport's secondary runway open because he said pilots must sometimes use it in certain wind conditions. He said student pilots could also use the runway, which he said is in better condition than about a third of runways in the state.
"If you get a commuter service back, that is a viable runway," Canupp said. "I see how you're trying to build the business community. It just doesn't seem to mesh to be closing down such a valuable asset and then going out and trying to draw businesses in here to purchase land in your business parks."
A representative of Profile Aviation -- the airport's fixed-base operator that sells airplane fuel and maintenance, leases hangar space and offers other services -- said he believed the plan wouldn't be in the city's "best interest in the long run."
David Sexton said the airport needs the secondary runway because it supports the control tower. And he said a city-operated fuel farm may be a breach of the city's contract with Profile, which sells all the fuel at the airport and provides most other services there.
"We like to be in cooperation with the city. We don't want to be in competition," Sexton said. He likened the prospect of the city getting into the airport service business to Concord's dispute with Lowe's Motor Speedway owner Bruton Smith, who said he may close the speedway after the city earlier denied his plans for a drag strip there.
Joe Brannock complained to the council about allegations he made last year that city actions led to him losing his job with U.S. Sen. Richard Burr's office because he expressed concerns to city officials about the exclusive airport FBO contract and talked with them about a competitive proposal to build a second FBO.
He said City Manager Mick Berry contacted Profile's owner, who he said then pressed Burr's office to fire him. "He said I used my position to intimidate the city to investigate his company."
Burr's office wouldn't comment, saying it doesn't discuss personnel matters.
To see more of The Charlotte Observer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.charlotte.com. Copyright (c) 2007, The Charlotte Observer, N.C. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.
