Panama City to bag MB airport money?
Panama City, Fla., leaders have asked the FAA for the grant money originally intended for terminal construction at Myrtle Beach International Airport. Today's editorial responds to this disgusting situation. Excerpts:
"The $43 million Federal Aviation Administration grant intended for the west-side terminal at Myrtle Beach International Airport might not go to waste after all, says FAA Southern regional administrator Doug Murphy. That could be good news - for folks in the Florida panhandle.
"The city of Myrtle Beach squelched the terminal project this spring, prompting airport owner Horry County to kill it last month. So the FAA, having a nice pot of money unexpectedly available, might divert some of it to Panama City, Fla.
"Murphy's visit came a few days after County Council Chairwoman Liz Gilland announced that she would no longer lead - or attempt to lead - the ad hoc committee sorting through the wreckage of the terminal project to figure out our communities' next air-service move. City of Myrtle Beach leaders subsequently voiced their lack of interest in the committee's work. ..."
"As exemplified by Gilland's withdrawal from the air-service discussion, county leaders have been in a passive-aggressive tiff since the terminal project's formal demise in early June. No doubt they regard this as acceptable payback for City Council's passive-aggressive refusal to rein in the appointive panel that squelched the terminal project, the Community Appearance Board.
"What we have here, in short, is a bunch of elective pouters more interested in 'getting' each other than improving public infrastructure to increase our communities' wealth."
Click here to read the entire editorial. Comments?
Hey, don't let the facts get in the way of a good editorial. The county council never did approve the west side terminal, did they? That truth gets conveniently lost every time. Wonder why they couldn't pull the trigger? Did you hear that big sigh of relief from the new county courthouse when CAB did its common-sense thing? Maybe CAB had the guts that county council didn't. And did we need a $230 million dollar terminal? After all, the airport has a whopping 25 commercial flights a day. That works out to, what, $10 million per flight? And what's with the airport stockpiling $37 million in unrestricted cash? Is that the whole number or is there more behind door number two? Sounds like a job for David Wren. And why has it taken eight years to do anything to the existing terminal? Think someone was trying to make it as painful as possible to fly to and from Myrtle Beach because they wanted to make a point? And wasn't the FAA's $43 million just for concrete runways and aprons, not terminal building? So what have we lost, really? Sounds like CAB saved the county $230 million. Not bad for a day's work.
Posted by: Bob | July 29, 2007 at 02:18 PM
We lost big. Myrtle Beach will remain the "redneck riveria" for quite a while longer now. We are not much better than Anyor. Makes you proud doesn't it?
Posted by: Rick | July 29, 2007 at 04:32 PM
Thank you Bob for most asinine ranting post I've seen in a long time. So, are we to assume that you think unelected "officials" in one town should be making decisions for everyone in Horry county and beyond? The CAB is a waste of space and cost the taxpayers of Horry thousands (millions?) of dollars.
I won't even get into your quoting current statistics without mentioning how they've increased exponentionally in recent years. I know the prospect of actually THINKING, let alone thinking about the future, is a bit much for some folks around here. I will say this, Bob: You assume too much. You're assuming that the airport will remain at it's current service levels and you aren't thinking about future growth.
Caveman thinking. That's what we run into so many times around here. Too many of you would rather wait until the last minute to get something done when a little forethought could've not only made things easier but also cheaper. Or are you planning on Hard Rock Park to be a failure?
Posted by: Eric | July 29, 2007 at 06:35 PM
Eric,
First the Geico commercials and now your post. Caveman thinking? Indeed. We did invent the wheel. Will this ever end?
Posted by: Bob the Caveman | July 29, 2007 at 08:32 PM
Bob, the council did approve terminal planning and design on second reading -- giving the airport people authority to work on the project and expend money. I have little doubt that a council majority would have approved the project proper on third reading, if the CAB had allowed the project to reach that stage. But at this point, or course, that's speculation.
dc
Posted by: Denney Clements | July 30, 2007 at 07:50 AM
Bob: Thanks....I couldn't agree with you more...and I couldn't have stated it better.
KUDOS to Bob
Posted by: beachguy | July 30, 2007 at 10:03 AM
Beachguy: It figures, you have the same caveman thinking as Bob. Put both of you IQ's together and you would still be in the single digits. That is why Myrtle Beach is being past up by towns like Panama City. That is why South Carolina ranks 48 out of 50 states in education. Past students like yourself! You should feel proud. They say ignorance is bliss. This place is living proof.
Posted by: Rick | July 30, 2007 at 10:40 AM
Rick: yeah..ain't it just great ??? Maybe the county will take that money and build a Casino Boat Port
Posted by: beachguy | July 30, 2007 at 12:37 PM
They are not that bright.
Posted by: Rick | July 30, 2007 at 02:54 PM