The City Council is due to vote on extending the airpark operating hours 'till 11:00pm on Friday, May 20th.
There is a City Council meeting Thursday, May 19th at 6:00pm.
I urge everyone who opposes the increased operating hours to attend the Thursday council meeting and speak out against the plan.
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Some talking points:
- Mr. Roper, of The Airpark Advisory Board was quoted in the St Petersburg Times as saying, "If we get 3 or 4 'planes a month we'll be lucky'. Why is the convenience of a very small group of aircraft operators even being considered when it will negatively affect the living standards of many hundreds of Clearwater residents?
- The airpark earns the city about $10,000 per year. Mr. Roper was quoted as saying, "We need this extension for the airpark to survive". With such a tiny profit for the city, maybe it's time to let the airpark die and put the land to better use.
- The alternative for late arriving pilots is the much better equipped Clearwater-St Petersburg airport, just 6 miles away. Hardly a major inconvenience for a pilot who has sat in his plane for over 4 hours flying from "Texas and Oklahoma", as quoted by Mr. Roper.
- The airpark is not truly operated at night; there is just a single Police Aide on duty, a night watchman. What happens if there’s a problem? Remember that Mohammed Atta and Marwan al-Shehhi, 9/11 terrorist pilots used the airpark to practice landing and take offs after dark and it was 30 minutes before the police aide took notice of them, use the link below for details; http://www.sptimes.com/2006/03/30/Northpinellas/911_hijackers_practic.shtml
- How many of the aircraft operators actually live in Clearwater?
Let the city know that we are all against this plan – No extended hours for the Clearwater Airpark.
