Boca Raton— Federal cuts are scheduled to land at Boca Raton Airport on April 7 — taking out federal funding for the air traffic control tower there — so the airport community met Wednesday to direct their best argument against that.
Wednesday's meeting brought together hotel managers, aviation business people and area corporate players, expressing their dismay that the $650,000 the Federal Aviation Administration pays for six staffers in Boca's control tower is most definitely on the list for cuts to be made.
"For my corporation, a large part of our decision to move to Boca from West Palm Beach was based on that tower being there," said Paul Loughrey, who works for Office Depot.
About 30 people who came to the meeting Wednesday discussed some of the downer effects the cuts could have: decreased safety, fewer hotel rooms rented, fewer airport workers. Airport Manager Ken Day urged them to email and call both of Florida's senators and the state's U.S. representatives and then urge others to do the same.
"It's politics and we all know that," Day said.
The money paid for contracted staff in the tower is part of the sequestration cuts that President Obama signed into law. Boca is one of 173 contracted air control towers most likely to lose federally funded staff. North Perry and Opa-locka airports are also on that same list.
Day said there's a glimmer of hope on the horizon that the cuts won't come to pass in the proposal that U.S. Sen. Jim Moran, R-Kan., has brought forward. But administratively, the picture is looking like more than a near-miss.
Boca's air traffic has grown to 51,000 operations annually. Many jets that currently land at Boca Raton Airport would likely pass it by without staff to guide them in, because their corporate charters prohibit them from landing at uncontrolled airports. Airport Authority Chairman Frank Feiler likened it to trying to find a parking space during Christmas season at Town Center.
"It's like doing that with no traffic lights and vehicles traveling at 130 to 180 mph," he said.
Troy McClellan, president and CEO of Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce, said that he will likely get some face time with Florida's Republican Sen. Marco Rubio this weekend.
"What's the insight that's going to save the day?" he asked, noting that every one of the airports on the list could make the argument about the economics of not having staff in the control tower. "Is there anything that's going to hit a hot button?"
Richard Peck, director of operations for Universal Jet Aviation, said that his experience working for the FAA gave him some insight.
"The last thing the government cares about is profit and loss," he said. "You need to come up with a scenario with mid airs (collisions)."
Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com
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