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Ocala
Star-Banner - August 3, 2001
Residents of Marion and Alachua counties are getting buzzed by the
regional airport issue again.
This week another group joined the fray. A regional airport is just
one of the projects North Central Florida Commerce Corridor is pushing
to serve an area that would include Marion, Alachua, Bradford, Dixie,
Gilchrist, Citrus, Levy, Putnam, Sumter, Lake and Union.
In a nutshell, NCFCC envisions Ocala as the regional hub and Gainesville's
existing airport as the general aviation facility. NCFCC has unveiled
a Web site where the latest developments concerning a regional airport
project may be found at www.ncfcc.org.
The serious players in the airport debate, however, remain Marion
and Alachua counties. And if anything is to be worked out, it will
be between these two viable entities.
The current activity has only a slightly different twist to an ongoing
but slow-moving effort of several decades. Gainesville powers and
Ocala powers each are locked in the "mine" concept and cannot seem
to advance to the "ours" stage. At some point both communities are
going to have to grow out of it. Those in Gainesville really need
to go to adult classes.
Politics, the logistics of acquiring and relocating to a regional
site, the geographical proximity to large metropolitan airports
and, most important, the inability to cooperate are all problems
to overcome. And even if everything fell into place, it would be
meaningless without the commitment of commercial airlines. A new
airport in central Florida would sit at the mercy of these big players.
They are not easily wooed.
To make this a successful venture, what we must do is throw our
strength together, make our regional airport attractive to the commercial
airlines on a realistic level. Then we would be considered legitimate
players with something serious to offer .
Gainesville has been losing business since Delta pulled out four
years ago. For example, passenger traffic at the Gainesville airport
in May was down 12.4 percent from the same time period last year.
The airport has been described as having "tremendous leakage" because
of high ticket prices. Travelers can get cheaper air fare by going
out of Orlando.
Supporters say a larger, regional airport would attract major airlines
and major airlines would offer more destinations with lower fares,
attracting passengers who would otherwise drive to Orlando, Jacksonville
or Tampa.
This is an unrealistic concept.
Larger commercial airlines operating out of major metropolitan cities
would perhaps see the value in establishing routes here, but only
as a shuttle-type service. That would be our appeal to a commercial
airline, which could use smaller planes to link our regional airport
with major hubs.
We think the most viable plan to develop over the next 10 years
would be one between Ocala and Gainesville leaders for a regional
airport in a central location between the two. As a way station,
it would provide a valuable service to the traveler, to the business
community broadening horizons, and it would create jobs.
The city of Ocala has been working on the project for a number of
years and has acquired the free trade zone designation for the local
facility upgrading to "international" status, although this would
not likely impact a regional airport.
All of this is admirable but the issue of having a regional airport
between Ocala and Gainesville, in a central location between the
two is still the best idea — easily accessible to both.
All the rhetoric on the value of a regional airport may be a lesson
in futility. It can never come to fruition without a meeting of
the minds.
It seems the concept of sharing is one none of the parties want
because each perceives it as giving in. It's not giving in. But
without some measure of coming together we'll certainly be giving
up, an action we cannot support.
See
August 3, 2001, issue of Ocala Star-Banner for original article.
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