Friday, March 29, 2013

Texas Department of Transportation bails out airport control tower

The control tower at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport is expected to remain open thanks to funding coming from the Texas Department of Transportation.

The Texas Transportation Commission is expected to approve the funding in a scheduled emergency session next week, according to a news release from TxDOT. The action would allow the 13 Texas air traffic control towers that had been slated to close to remain open, including the one at Tyler, which employs six air traffic controllers in five positions.

The Federal Aviation Administration had announced last week that it would pull the funding to air traffic control towers at some smaller airports because of sequestration.

Other airports in Texas that were set for closure but will receive the funding are: New Braunfels, Brownsville, College Station, Waco, Lone Star Executive Houston, Georgetown, San Marcos, Dallas Executive, Sugar Land Regional, Stinson Municipal in San Antonio, Collin County Regional and Victoria Regional.

Grand Prairie Municipal and Fort Worth Spinks airports remain funded under a federal agreement until Sept. 30.

Airport Manager Davis Dickson had announced Wednesday at a city council meeting that the Pounds tower was set to close May 5 unless other ways could be found to finance the cost.

Dickson said in a statement Thursday the decision from TxDOT “was very good news.” He estimated that the cost of the annual FAA contract at Tyler Pounds is $500,000 for the air traffic controllers. The city of Tyler does not hold the contract or have access to those salaries, Dickson said. The FAA holds the contract, he said.

“Having a control tower is extremely important to Tyler,” Dickson said in his statement. The tower handles a large volume of commercial passengers and private aircraft and is a key component for efficient and safe operations on the airport, Dickson said.

He added that the tower allows the airport to continue to grow to produce increased economic development activity for the region. “Tyler Pounds has seen a lot of growth over the last 15 years. The FAA, TXDOT and city of Tyler have made sizable investments to maintain the safety, security and growth of this airport,” Dickson said in his statement. Dickson said he did not know how the FAA would handle the equipment left in the tower or if it would continue to support that equipment.

City engineer Carter Delleney said Thursday at a City Hall press conference that the city is “very pleased with the announcement.”

“It allows us some time to look at funding mechanisms for the tower to stay open,” Delleney said. Dickson was travelling to Fort Worth to meet with TxDOT officials, Assistant City Manager Susan Guthrie said.

Delleney said he is not sure about the transition plans to the TxDOT funding from the FAA. “We are attacking it from many directions,” he said about the search for the tower funding at Tyler Pounds.

A statement from officials at TxDOT said the agency experts to spend about $7 million per year funding the 13 control towers if the cost is extended to one year.

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