Saturday, November 29, 2014

Opinion: Lafayette Regional Airport expansion necessary as Hub City grows

A 1-cent sales tax limited to just eight months to help finance a new terminal at Lafayette Regional Airport is a good deal for the citizens of Lafayette.

For starters, it's a dedicated tax that will generate a projected $37 million for the sole purpose of constructing a new airport terminal to replace the outdated, inadequate one that serves the parish. And it will self-destruct in eight months. For those who are accustomed to limited term taxes that get renewed again and again, airport commissioners assure us this tax proposal is written in such a way that it cannot be renewed. That, in itself, is a selling point. It's a great idea.

Plus, it's a sales tax, as opposed to a property tax. That means that not only will the citizens of Lafayette Parish be generating revenue for the airport terminal, but so will thousands of out-of-parish visitors who come to Lafayette to shop.

Lafayette and Lafayette Parish have been growing and so has the flow of people traveling in and out of the city. But the airport facilities have remained virtually the same since they were built in the mid-1950s and remodeled in 1989. Since then, the number of travelers going through the airport has grown tremendously. Over the past six years, passenger records have been set and a 40 percent increase in passengers is expected in the next 11 years.

A sales tax paid in part from out-of-parish shoppers makes a lot of sense. According to airport documents, nearly 75 percent of Acadiana area travelers chose Lafayette Regional compared to 17.6 percent who chose Baton Rouge and 6.8 percent who went to New Orleans in 2013.

We've outgrown our airport. Aside from that being a matter of convenience and aesthetics, it's also a matter of economic development. In addition to accommodating more people on the inside, the proposed terminal would have more gates and would be able to accommodate larger planes — and more of them. Parking capacity would be increased, too.

So, how does this all benefit the average voter who may fly once a year or every few years — or almost never? Not directly, of course. But it's all geared toward assisting Lafayette's continued economic growth.

On any given day, about half the passengers going through the Lafayette airport are business travelers. A more modern, larger terminal would mean more flights, making Lafayette a more desirable place for businesses to locate. And that means more jobs and more money coming into the local economy.

So far, all the other major Louisiana cities have updated their airport facilities. Baton Rouge has expanded its terminal. New Orleans plans a new airport. Monroe, Alexandria and Lake Charles have built new terminals and now offer more gates and vastly improved facilities even though they serve tens of thousands fewer passengers than Lafayette Regional Airport serves.

Ours is the fourth-busiest airport in the state behind New Orleans, Shreveport and Baton Rouge. But despite our vibrant business climate and genuine community pride, the other regional airports are leaving us behind when it comes to airport size, convenience and sophistication.

It's time for us to improve our airport. It will be good for everyone.

Lafayette has traditionally been known as the Hub City. It's time for it to be a hub for air travel, as well.

Vote yes on Dec. 6.

- Source:  http://www.theadvertiser.com/opinion

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