Should the city run the airport?

The Airport is now set up with the same meaningless style board that the golf course has. Moser and his friends are very poor buisinessman and should not be running a local taco stand. The golf course loses around $225,000 a year under these poor managers that now think they are airport managers!

The city should plow the airport under and allow some worthwhile development to take place. Were it's located now might have been alright 40 years ago, it should have been move further out of town instead of being expanded and putting that stupid curve in 18th ave. I see it as a road block to any expansion in that part of the city.

I am not sure but it should be moved east, opening up the gridlock and some prime property for development. The present location has no room for expansion.

Columbus is operated in the same fashion as our government.
When are the citizens/taxpayers going to wake up?
Columbus will soon be a monopoly and no one will be able to live there.

The reason why people like Popcorn Joe and Moser get involved in city politics, and take city jobs, is because they are not smart enough to make it in the real world as business men themselves. They like the power of spending our tax money and do not care how much they waste just as long as they keep their jobs.

Big Fat NO!
Let it die!
City already makes bad enough choices.
With the economy I really hope the city doesn't
Too bad we didn't put it on the ballad so the people could shoot it down

Do you people who are talking about moving the airport have a clue? Let's see, the taxpayers of Columbus should spend untold millions of dollars to move the airport so poor William doesn't have to go around his 18th ave. curve! I'm sure the developers are just licking their chops to build (what is it they want to build again?)on the "former" airport property. Then, of course, you have to find the site for the new Columbus Airport. Any of you farmers out there want to give up your land which your family has owned for generations for this new and improved airport? O'hare, the worlds' first or second busiest airport (depending on how you measure), is totally landlocked by development, and Chicago is improving the airport to the tune of 15 billion dollars. Good airports help communities like Columbus to expand, they do not impede expansion. I've been to hundreds of airport around the country, and for the size of Columbus, I can tell you it is a first class facility you should all be proud of. Any industrial concern looking to locate there considers this as an important factor. Now, board members, work to get a full instrument landing system there, and now you're really talking about a great airport!

Put it on the ballad??????

Chicago Mike, where in my post did I say move it? I said it should have been moved years ago, to late to do anything about it now! It's just another example of how poorly planned this city has always been!

"The city should plow the airport under and allow some worthwhile development to take place". Sound familiar William? That's because it's your quote. Technically, you want to destroy the airport and not necessarily replace it, which is even dumber than moving it. Do you think with no airport Columbus will be in the expansion mode? I do agree with you that Columbus is not very well planned however. The Northern bypass should have been lined up east of Columbus to connect with a future Platte river bridge, and then it would prove truly useful.

Ken

Think about it, a ballad about Columbus and the airport would be entertaining. Perhaps even a musical.

Absolutely the city should run the airport! With Joe Held and Chuck "Pickles" Whitney on board it can't fail.

We spent 17 million on a high school face lift. We spent a million on minor renovations at the stadium. We are talking about a new middle school. And now you think moving the airport outside of town is a bad idea, but improving it for your use is a good idea? You must be a politician.

If the community expands, we will need a new high school, and other municipal facilities. It’s not a question of if; it is a question of when. We only have ONE street that goes all the way through this town without a dead end or hairpin turn to nowhere. So if the airport promotes expansion, why would we want to copy Chicago Midway? This town really needs to start thinking past the front of their noses and look at long term planning and consolidating for cost effectiveness. Long term infrastructure plans are imperative for power and progress. “Can't” never could and narrow mindedness will only result in more of what this city has been plagued with in the past. Either we want to expand, and develop a comprehensive plan to support that endeavor. Or, we don’t want to expand, and we develop a comprehensive plan to support that endeavor. Pick one.

I say maintain the airport in its current state until a long term plan for the entire town is complete. Then, to make sure the planning stage doesn't take 20 years, put a timeline on it and stick to it. Fill in whatever cliché you like best…..People don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan. Do we have a long-term planning committee that addresses the entire community, to include the airport, schools, traffic, municipalities, utilities, retail expansion, industrial expansion, etc…..?

Hell, no!!!!!!!!!

They can't run traffic on the ground, let alone in the air! Yikes!

Cost of moving airport to who knows where: 10 to 20 million dollars. Cost to add an ILS to improve safety and usefulness: 500,000 dollars. Cost of "unbelievable's" tirade: Priceless! By the way, I never mentioned Chicago Midway, I mentioned Chicago Ohare. "Unbelievable", I'm all for comprehensive city planning, but is the airport really that much in the way that you want to spend ?millions of dollars to move it to where? Developers are lined up to build what where the airport is today? Would I put the airport there if Columbus didn't exist and was being built from scratch? Probably not, but it is where it is, so if you can rally the citizens of Columbus to come up with the money to move it, more power to you and might I add, good luck!

Chicago Mike, I am very well aware that you didn't mention Midway. I mentioned it because it is in the middle of a residential area. Maybe just a little more comparable than the home of the 1-hour delay.

Furthermore, you have made some excellent points, most of which support my arguments.

Let’s assume the city decides to expand.

1. Land acquisition is a given. So if they are buying land anyway, it is cost neutral. This one is relatively self explanatory.

2. If the city expands, it will continue to encompass the airport within the middle of the city which causes a few logistical obstacles. Call it what you want, it is just not a smart place for an airport. If this actually were a tirade, I might even describe it as a very stupid place for an airport (sorry, I couldn’t pass it up).

3. There have been articles in the paper about a new middle school. They have already talked about a new high school. They have also had an article about CPS consolidating with Lakeview. What about other municipalities that will be in need of repair, replacement, and expansion in the coming years…..stadium, library, swimming pool, maintenance yard, police and sheriff stations, park, etc… I am not suggesting the city get rid of the land, I am suggesting they retain and use this land. And maybe, just maybe, for future expansion too (don’t tell anyone though, they don’t seem to like planning around here). It could include making use of existing buildings and that nice parking lot some refer to as a runway. Again, some of that money would need to be spent anyway.

4. If the city expands, we will have more traffic. Imagine a hospital on a thru street, novel idea. 38th Street would actually go from the hospital to E 14th Ave. The new arterial will help, but it won’t be the end all. If you think so, then take a hard look at the one viaduct we have that will be closed. What will happen if the city expands and then they need to close the arterial for some reason? Should we all drive down 23rd, or should we just get a flagman and stagger ground traffic with runway traffic?

5. We spent 17 million on a temporary fix to the high school. I am not saying it is not expensive, but I am saying that it supports the theory of an expanding city. I also believe that some of the cost could be offset with a good plan. Not entirely offset, but if we can knock off $5-million, plus your $500,000 do-hicky, we are down to 9.5 to 14.5 million, instead of your quote for 15-20.


I am not sure that I understand your resistance. Is it the change that frightens you or is there some other reason? No disrespect intended, but I just do not understand why people in general complain about the lack of progress, but then make every attempt to stifle it. This problem will only get worse as time goes on. You might be able to ignore your teeth until they go away, but this airport will still be here, where it doesn’t belong.

The city has enough to worry about without trying to run an airport. It certainly doesn’t need one in the middle of town. Thanks for your wish of good luck, we’ll need it.

"unbelievable", I'm don't follow your logic on somehow making your point for you. I know you are saying that the airport is not in the ideal location, and that is probably true. However, anywhere in the world you go, you will seldom if ever see an ideal city layout. The cost to start over is just too great, so you live with it the best you can, whether you're talking about an airport or some other entity. I am talking real world, and you are talking dream world. I liked the neat layout of your last post, with your numbered items, however , none of them make sense. The one about land, your logic is the city would be buying it for something anyway, so it's a no cost item! The rest of your stuff about flagmen and closing the new arterial because of city growth is so bizarre that I won't waste my time commenting on it. And finally, I ask myself why I waste my time debating someone who refers to an ILS (instrument landing system) as a do-hicky. The ILS is progress, only practical realistic progress, not part of your pie-in-the-sky Nirvana International Airport.

Chicago: I'll buy that you do not find my sense of humor funny, although I will admit I do appreciate yours. I guess we will agree to disagree. As for the ILS (the 1/2 million dollar do-hicky), you said it would improve safety. If my memory serves me right, not so long ago, there was a plane that dropped by east 3rd ave. Imagine if that would have been BD, Wal-mart, etc... I think you get the picture. Overkill...yes, but that is the way I like my safety.

As for the land, I thought that was the easiest one to understand. If the city is planning to buy land for schools, etc..., the cost per acre would probably be significantly higher in or next to city limits as opposed to a section say 5 or more miles from town. When the cost is the same, that makes it cost neutral. But the point was an expanding city, and that supports your comment about the value of an airport.

I have been on the working end of more than a couple of million dollar investments that pay for themselves. Its not all smoke and mirrors, it's just good money management. It doesn't make me better than anybody, but I do understand a little bit about investments.

Nontheless, I am not looking to make enemies here, I'm just trying to state my point of view, much like yourself. Its just too cumbersome to discuss by text alone so I'll make this my last post. I respect your point of view, I just don't agree.

Thanks for the debate, it's been fun. It would be nice to meet you someday at an airport grand opening a few miles from town!

"Unbelievable", "Build it and they will land". Maybe Shoeless Joe Jackson will land the first airplane. Though it has been fun, I too tire of this debate. Meet me in the terminal of the new airport exactly one week after the grand opening, 12 noon, and I will buy you a beer!

Now hold on boys, I think we need a $50,000 study on this one.

They should allow cars to use the runway at the airport...then they can get up their speed and fly over the railroad tracks like the Dukes of Hazard since all the crossings are closed. Now, how convenient would THAT be???

Thank god I don't live in Columbus any more. It's a total joke.