What a bunch of malarkey.
The Murfreesboro City Council’s latest vote to extend the municipal airport’s runway to 4,750 feet — after previously voting against 5,000 feet — is hardly a compromise and clearly an effort by some council members to cover their mistakes.
First, City Councilman Toby Gilley and new Councilman Eddie Smotherman erred when they signed neighbors’ petitions against the runway extension as part of a clear campaign move rather than wait until public hearings ended.
Second, Councilman Shane McFarland obviously wanted to change his mind after he was the swing vote in a 4-3 decision not to approve an airport development plan with a 5,000-foot runway.
Not that they don’t have every right to sign petitions or vote the way they deem fit, but the fact that two members made up their minds before the vote laid the framework for McFarland to, ultimately, make a decision he didn’t like.
Airport officials and local pilots contended during hearings that the longer runway is needed to improve safety and to insure larger planes than are allowed to land there. Nearby residents argued that the extended runway would endanger them and hurt their property values by allowing more and larger aircraft.
But while Smotherman called the 4,750 length a compromise, residents disagree. We see their point of view, because 250 feet isn’t much when the airport was asking for about 1,100 feet. That’s not even a football field.
The first decision jeopardized a potential federal grant covering 95 percent of the estimated $2.3 million project. Airport fuel and sales hangar sale would pick up the remaining $115,000.
Where MTSU fits into this is hard to figure. The university’s Aerospace program operates out of the airport, and MTSU initially considered purchasing a larger plane for transporting university officials. but it wasn’t allowed because the runway wasn’t long enough. Now, MTSU officials say they aren’t considering the larger plane.
But if they were initially, what other businesses are making decisions based on the airport’s runway? Corporate executives can be finicky, and Murfreesboro is touting two pieces of property on Medical Center Parkway as corporate sites. We wonder if some CEOs might be turned off by the airport’s inability to handle their plane.
In the meantime, we encourage city council members to gather all the pertinent information before they start casting votes. These latest lapses make the entire body look like a wishy-washy lot that can’t make a decision.
The Murfreesboro Airport, which is self-sustaining and receives no taxpayer funding, should not be forced to take a nosedive because of politics.
Opinions in this column reflect consensus of discussion by The Daily News Journal Editorial Board.
http://www.airnav.com/airport/KMBT
http://www.dnj.com
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