An Open Letter to Mr. Ted

29 May An Open Letter to Mr. Ted

Note: This is the full manuscript, condensed in the May 26, 2012 issue of the Venice Gondolier.

Venice Municipal Airport, a Valuable City and Regional Asset

In his recent opinion piece “Airport is older but not more important,” Venice Gondolier, May 16, 2012, Ted Kozarski proffers the same tired, misinformed conjecture that reminds us some still don’t comprehend the value of municipal airports and why they exist.

We will overlook Mr. Kozarski’s bias and trust that it does not creep into his veterans’ interviews. We’re sorry he missed an excellent opportunity to interview a few of the remaining servicemen stationed at Venice Army Airbase during WWII at the May 19 Armed Forces Day Celebration.

Misperceptions and misinformation aside, we will thank Mr. Kozsarski for another opportunity to set the record straight. For over 20 years, the Venice Aviation Society, Incorporated (VASI), a non-profit, community-based organization, has remained true to the mission of “Supporting a safe, modern, sustainable, community-friendly airport.” As steward of the Airport, we promote safety, sustainability and compatibility through transparency and fact-based responses to the issues.

Before responding to his laundry list of airport myths, note the many attributes of general aviation airports such as, to quote the 2012 Asset Report, a Federal Study on General Aviation Airports (found at the VASI website), “…flight activities such as emergency medical services, aerial firefighting, law enforcement and border control, agricultural functions, flight training, time-sensitive air cargo services, business travel, and scheduled services. As the FAA notes ‘some general aviation airports provide all of these aeronautical functions, while others provide only a few. Some airports are large and have multiple runways and extensive facilities, while others are relatively small and may need only a short, single runway, helipad, or sea lane to serve a critical function.’”

Granted, a restaurant or golf course doesn’t need an airport to exist. However, most do recognize the fact that without this particular airport, the beachscape from Caspersen Beach all the way up to Airport Avenue would resemble the north end of the island: More condos, more homes, fewer parks and less public beach. Mr. Kozarski seems to suggest that airport-based tourism isn’t a welcome revenue stream. Main Street merchants, hoteliers and restaurateurs, and many others would likely disagree, adding the Venice Airport is an important contributor to the local economy. Just ask the City’s Economic Development Board. Look at the numbers. Explore the facts.

Suggesting that the city “doesn’t receive one penny in revenue from the airport” is purely false. Annually, the airport writes a check to the city for administrative services, last year to the tune of $194,000. According to tax records, airport tenants paid $106,000 in property taxes in 2010. Plus, the city derives revenues indirectly from the airport in the form of retail sales, sales taxes, and wages to local employees. According to a Venice Airport Business Association study, the airport business payroll remains conservatively in excess of $3.8 million, with closer to 100 employees rather than his claim of 30. A Florida Department of Transportation study reaffirmed that the Airport is a substantial component of our regional economy. And our Airport is self-sufficient – by design.

Venice Municipal Airport has its own operating fund and gets no funding from the city. Mr. Kozarski conveniently overlooks the fact that airports only get funding from airline ticket sales and aviation fuel taxes, not your income tax dollars. The blatant omission of these important facts is simply designed to fan the flames of anti-airport, anti-aviation sentiment.

Moreover, airport users spend a lot more to fly at their airports than does the government. The FAA report (cited above) states that, “In 2009, non-airline operators spent $12 billion flying an estimated 27 million flights at the 2,952 general aviation airports, while the Federal Government invested about $1.1 billion to help state and local governments maintain and improve these airports.”

Speaking of fanning the flames, recall the recent letter from the Gondolier reader thanking the city and the airport for having the helicopter that put out a nearby brush fire, saving his home from disaster. So his pervasive notion that “Venice airport is not an essential air service airport” and there are enough airports in the world makes really nice copy but ignores the fact that Venice, like many fields such as Punta Gorda, Page Field, Sarasota International, Orlando Executive and others do provide essential access to the air transportation system for those too far removed from major transportation hubs.

Airports are complex facilities to construct. Mr. Kozarski’s beliefs notwithstanding, you will find that significant strategic consideration was given to the siting of airports. With apologies to Mr. Nolen, their permanent locations were no less envisioned as part of the national transportation system than I-75, I-95, I-10 and I-4. In the rare instances where a WWII-era airport did not fit into the national transportation picture, they were eventually re-purposed or privatized.

The “bad apples” analogy, suggesting the actions of a few are compromising everyone’s quality of life, is disingenuous hyperbole. At the peak of operations, a Part 150 Noise Study said there wasn’t a noise problem. Maybe that’s why some of the loudest airport critics fought against another Noise Study; they knew in advance what the results would be. Nonetheless, the airport pursued a voluntary “Fly Friendly” noise abatement program, developed in partnership with VASI, implementing several effective measures to include raising the traffic pattern altitude, changing pattern routes, and providing notices to pilots in the Airport Facility Directory. While Mr. Kozarski astutely recognizes that airplanes make noise (along with
garbage trucks, chain saws, leaf blowers, lawnmowers, boats, and your neighbor’s stereo), there’s actually a whole lot less of it than there was 10 years ago. It’s always amusing to hear of noise complaints on days and times when there were no airplanes flying.

Get to know people who fly; you’ll find them just as hospitable as everyone else in Venice: Decorated veterans, professionals, volunteers, retirees, parents, grandparents, business owners, community leaders, missionaries, students, friends, and neighbors. Clearly not Kozarski’s stereotypical “cowboys” given to “excess.”

“Keep it small,” or “Don’t grow the airport.” We’ve never quite understood those comments either, given the airport is hemmed in by the Gulf, Intracoastal Waterway and residential areas. If anything, the airport is smaller. Parcels of land were sold off (sometimes at a pittance), substantially diminishing the inventory of leasable real estate. We do hope and trust though that the successful businesses on the airport will grow and prosper thereby making an even greater contribution to the economic and cultural well-being of our city.

Perhaps size is referring to the number of annual airport operations. We’ve already determined operations are at historic lows right now, based on traffic measurement equipment on the field, and will likely never achieve previous levels. Still, you can’t simply declare the reduction of the utility of the airport any more than you can limit traffic traveling on I-75.

Finally, there are those who just say, “enough is enough with the airport.” We couldn’t agree more. Which makes us wonder what really motivated Mr. Kozarski’s unresearched, inflammatory airport hate piece in the first place. Thankfully, the vast majority of the population understands the airport, its utility and value to the community. Airport matters have consumed a great deal of the time and energy of our city leadership. A lot of people said, “Get past the obsession with the airport and deal with the many real challenges facing the city.” Amen. And yes, finally, many airport issues have been put to bed and progress is both visible and recognizable.

The City and FAA approved Airport Layout Plan provides a sound, compliant path to manage the airport. Once funded, issues such as “sliding” Runway 13 – 31 to the southeast slightly – thereby removing 24 homes from the Runway Protection Zone – can finally go forward and Runway 04 – 22 will eventually become the preferred runway for operations. This is a significant accomplishment, transferring more arrivals and departures predominantly to the Gulf of Mexico or the mixed industrial areas to the northeast across the 41 Bypass. There is still a lot of work ahead and thankfully, there is the vision and energy in
our city to get the job done.

Expression is one of the core freedoms upon which our country was founded. Everyone is entitled to express their opinion, but no one is entitled to their own set of facts. That is why we offer Mr. Kozarski, those who subscribe to his beliefs, and those who reject them, an open invitation to attend our monthly membership meetings.

VASI meetings are always open to the public, where interested citizens, guest speakers and community leaders gather to discuss important aviation issues, including all the improvements and projects currently in progress. Stay informed. Get the facts. Join us when our meeting season resumes this fall. Facts are great. We commend them to all.

Brett Stephens is the president of VASI, a Venice resident, a pilot and tenant of the Venice Municipal Airport. The VASI website is www.VeniceAviationSociety.com.