A sad day in Iowa City

On 10 Jul 2006 20:40:42 -0700, "Jay Honeck" wrote
in om::

Runways 18 and 36 have been closed at the Iowa City Municipal Airport
-- forever.

What incentive does the city have to close the runway early?

Are they able to reduce costs by closing now instead of a year from
now?

How does the runway closure impact the commercial development plan?

What incentive does the city have to close the runway early?

I have no idea. I just received an email from one of the airport
commissioners, stating that even HE didn't know the runway was closing
today. Something stinks here.

Are they able to reduce costs by closing now instead of a year from
now?

Not that I can discern. Unless you count the time spent snow plowing it
next winter?

How does the runway closure impact the commercial development plan?

A previous airport commission, in an attempt to make the airport
self-sufficient, carved off big hunks of airport property at the north
and south end of the field -- right off the departure ends of Rwy
18/36. The city is currently building a 4-lane road that will run
right off the end of Rwy 18.

This was done purportedly because

(a) The airport could lease the land to businesses, and provide a
steady stream of income to the cash-starved, always begging airport.
This has not come to pass, after five years of trying to lease or sell
the land.

(b) The FAA supposedly does not support three runways at airports like
Iowa City anymore, so they figured "what do we have to lose?". I'm not
sure what direct FAA funding this runway needed to stay open, but it
sure isn't much. (The concrete is original World War II vintage, and
still in fine shape.)

Many of us have suggested just displacing the threshholds, so that at
least the runway is available on those many days when the wind is
howling out of the north at 15 gusts to 28 -- but to no avail. I have
no idea why this is -- and I've attended every airport commission
meeting for the last several years.

As I said, something stinks here.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

("Jay Honeck" wrote)
Many of us have suggested just displacing the threshholds, so that at
least the runway is available on those many days when the wind is howling
out of the north at 15 gusts to 28 -- but to no avail. I have no idea why
this is -- and I've attended every airport commission meeting for the last
several years.

As I said, something stinks here.


1. Follow the money...
2. Who, on the commission, ultimately made the decision?
3. Follow the money...
4. Go have a sit-down with that person.
5. Follow the money...
6. Play nice with your interview subject.

7-24. Oh, and ...follow the money.

25. Good luck!


Montblack

In a previous article, "Jay Honeck" said:
Are they able to reduce costs by closing now instead of a year from
now?

Not that I can discern. Unless you count the time spent snow plowing it
next winter?

I think the airport powers that be consider this fairly important. KROC
has a plan to make the runway that's only used by piston engined planes,
7-25 narrower by painting cross hatching on both sides, and that's
supposed to save money. The runway is a hold-over from the days when
airlines landed their DC-3s on it. Obviously the painting isn't going to
stop anybody rolling on it in the summer, so they must be thinking it will
take less time to plow in the winter.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
Deciding to precipitate the disaster, I have donned my copper armour,
filled a fire bucket, and wired myself to all the important swervers.
-- A fatalistic BOFH

"Paul Tomblin" wrote in message
...
In a previous article, "Jay Honeck" said:
Are they able to reduce costs by closing now instead of a year from
now?

Not that I can discern. Unless you count the time spent snow plowing it
next winter?

I think the airport powers that be consider this fairly important. KROC
has a plan to make the runway that's only used by piston engined planes,
7-25 narrower by painting cross hatching on both sides, and that's
supposed to save money. The runway is a hold-over from the days when
airlines landed their DC-3s on it. Obviously the painting isn't going to
stop anybody rolling on it in the summer, so they must be thinking it will
take less time to plow in the winter.


--

Saving money buy narrowing runways. We just had that happen here (ELD)
before a big repaving job was done. I can understand that and really have no
problem with the change EXCEPT. Instead of marking the area they didn't want
to repave they removed it completely. Cost a fortune and took longer than
the repaving job did. Stupidest thing I ever saw.