The two-week closure to most air traffic of Columbus
Municipal Airport that began Monday ironically highlights the importance of this
facility to the community and the bargain the city and its taxpayers have been
enjoying since 1971.
The action was taken to affect long overdue repairs to both
runways. An overlay on them was last put down in the 1980s.
The repairs over the next two weeks will include milling the
top 7 inches of the pavement and overlaying it with concrete, the first time
that more durable material has been used in the history of the 68-year-old
facility.
There obviously will be some disruptions for major users of
the airport that records an average of 125 takeoffs or landings each day. The
majority of that traffic consists of commercial flights, but the companies that
use the facility have expressed support for the maintenance project and have
been able to make other temporary arrangements. The financing of this project
is especially good news for the local community because all but $225,000 of the
$4.5 million price tag will be paid with federal and state grants.
Even better, that $225,000 that will have to be paid by the
cityÕs Aviation Commission does not involve tax dollars. The entire amount will
be paid by user fees raised by the commission.
In fact, the airport has been a self-sustaining operation
throughout its history, not only earning revenue from those who use the airport
itself but from rental money generated by farmland on the property and areas
that have been dedicated to industrial and business development.
The airport and its surrounding land were turned over to the
city on Dec. 3, 1971, when the U.S. Air Force deactivated Bakalar Air Force
Base. The base had been used as a military training facility during World War
II and the wars in Korea and Vietnam.
Immediately envisioned as an area that could spur economic
development in Columbus, the deactivated base was also seen as an opportunity
to create a campus-like environment where residents of southern Indiana could
pursue affordable and convenient post-secondary education.
In that respect, it has proved to be wildly successful, not
only housing traditional campuses such as those for IUPUC and Ivy Tech but
creating unique training facilities for workplace development such as the
Advanced Manufacturing Center of Excellence now under construction.
The two weeks the airport will be down to most air traffic
(it can still accommodate helicopter landings and takeoffs) will be more than
justified by the added safety the repairs will provide.
It should also remind the community of the deal it got
almost 40 years ago.
http://www.therepublic.com/view/local_story/Airport_gift_that_keeps_giving_to_city_8_11_2010/
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