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Sen. Mike Romano & the NCWV Airport Director Rick Rock have only one argument with their opposition of MGWs runway extension. Their argument being "a waste of resources."
A waste of resources? A WASTE OF RESOURCES...
Let's breakdown how said resources are being spent.
5 million dollars will come from FAA allotments that the City/Airport has/will earn(ed) through enplanement numbers
3 million dollars will come from West Virginia University and their purchase of properties near Falling Run and University Avenue
If the AirForce/Army Reserves can perform the earthwork , which looks very promising, costs can be cut down to 8 million dollars to a possible 12 million dollars. (IRT project)
If bullet #3 is completed, then the total amount coming from the FAA should be near 14 million dollars
Let's do the math real fast. This is a 30 million dollar project. 30 million dollars can be cut down to 22 million dollars given the military IRT project.
5 million dollar FAA allotments (+) 3 million dollar WVU land purchases (+) 14 million dollars in FAA discretionary funds (=) a 22 million dollar project. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Here's where this IS DEFINATELY NOT a waste of resources:
MGW wants to expand their facilities and their runway. They should be able to use the 5 million dollars, which they have earned, anyway they please for facility expansion.
WVU supports the runway extension project. It would be smart to use money coming from WVU to pay for the extension that WVU is in favor of. Plus the city has every freedom to choose where funding is needed. As a result, the City of Morgantown has chosen to use these funds for the extension of the runway.
This will be my favorite point. Most of the funds used will be in earthwork. Earthwork is planned to be done either by the AirForce Reserves or the Army Reserves/NG through their IRT projects. Although tax payer's dollars are still being used to pay for military personnel to perform earthwork and cut/fill operations, these tax payer dollars are being used for military training that can't receive anywhere else. The military is responsible for constructing airfields around the world and this is the perfect opportunity for practice and training for our nation's military personnel. Certainly not a waste of money.
The mission of this project is to support local businesses and industry in the Greater Morgantown Area. (Medical fields, WVU, Camp Dawson, Oil & Natural Gas sector, etc.) It is not meant to take away anything from Clarksburg. This project, in my opinion, has two goals. Make the airport profitable and boost an already booming economy for the City of Morgantown and areas beyond.
(IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME)
Will the runway extension take away from Clarksburg? In my opinion...yes. But not for the purpose of trying to "compete" with Clarksburg. This year's FAA operations data already shows that MGW is doubling CKB in operations by roughly 9000 operations (see FAA OPSNET report) They have CKB already beat. MGWs runway extension makes it more convenient for air travelers that are forced to use CKB for runway length purposes. Instead of being forced to CKB and driving I-79 for 45 minutes, air travelers can fly direct to MGW now. CONVENIENCE. Convenience is the major selling point. That's why air travelers will pick MGW over CKB when all is said and done. People doing business in Morgantown using larger aircraft will finally be given the option to fly into MGW instead of using PIT or CKB.
From what it sounds like, Mr. Romano is very supportive of his local economy. I don't blame him. I would view the MGW extension project as a threat to my local economy too. However, Mr. Romano, in this article, is yielding to the fact that MGWs runway extension will take away traffic and competition from CKB. In my opinion, he views the extension as a threat to not only the airport but to his local economy AND THAT IS WHY HE IS IN OPPOSITION OF THE PROJECT. I like how he is concerned for the common tax payer but as mentioned in my points above, the tax dollars are WELL SPENT. They will help drive an already productive economy and make the Greater Morgantown Area thrive!!!
Here's an idea. Let MGW do their thing and CKB can stop wasting their time writing their local senators and government officials to find a counter strategy.
Sen. Mike Romano & the NCWV Airport Director Rick Rock have only one argument with their opposition of MGWs runway extension. Their argument being "a waste of resources."
A waste of resources? A WASTE OF RESOURCES...
Let's breakdown how said resources are being spent.
5 million dollars will come from FAA allotments that the City/Airport has/will earn(ed) through enplanement numbers
3 million dollars will come from West Virginia University and their purchase of properties near Falling Run and University Avenue
If the AirForce/Army Reserves can perform the earthwork , which looks very promising, costs can be cut down to 8 million dollars to a possible 12 million dollars. (IRT project)
If bullet #3 is completed, then the total amount coming from the FAA should be near 14 million dollars
Let's do the math real fast. This is a 30 million dollar project. 30 million dollars can be cut down to 22 million dollars given the military IRT project.
5 million dollar FAA allotments (+) 3 million dollar WVU land purchases (+) 14 million dollars in FAA discretionary funds (=) a 22 million dollar project. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Here's where this IS DEFINATELY NOT a waste of resources:
MGW wants to expand their facilities and their runway. They should be able to use the 5 million dollars, which they have earned, anyway they please for facility expansion.
WVU supports the runway extension project. It would be smart to use money coming from WVU to pay for the extension that WVU is in favor of. Plus the city has every freedom to choose where funding is needed. As a result, the City of Morgantown has chosen to use these funds for the extension of the runway.
This will be my favorite point. Most of the funds used will be in earthwork. Earthwork is planned to be done either by the AirForce Reserves or the Army Reserves/NG through their IRT projects. Although tax payer's dollars are still being used to pay for military personnel to perform earthwork and cut/fill operations, these tax payer dollars are being used for military training that can't receive anywhere else. The military is responsible for constructing airfields around the world and this is the perfect opportunity for practice and training for our nation's military personnel. Certainly not a waste of money.
The mission of this project is to support local businesses and industry in the Greater Morgantown Area. (Medical fields, WVU, Camp Dawson, Oil & Natural Gas sector, etc.) It is not meant to take away anything from Clarksburg. This project, in my opinion, has two goals. Make the airport profitable and boost an already booming economy for the City of Morgantown and areas beyond.
(IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME)
Will the runway extension take away from Clarksburg? In my opinion...yes. But not for the purpose of trying to "compete" with Clarksburg. This year's FAA operations data already shows that MGW is doubling CKB in operations by roughly 9000 operations (see FAA OPSNET report) They have CKB already beat. MGWs runway extension makes it more convenient for air travelers that are forced to use CKB for runway length purposes. Instead of being forced to CKB and driving I-79 for 45 minutes, air travelers can fly direct to MGW now. CONVENIENCE. Convenience is the major selling point. That's why air travelers will pick MGW over CKB when all is said and done. People doing business in Morgantown using larger aircraft will finally be given the option to fly into MGW instead of using PIT or CKB.
From what it sounds like, Mr. Romano is very supportive of his local economy. I don't blame him. I would view the MGW extension project as a threat to my local economy too. However, Mr. Romano, in this article, is yielding to the fact that MGWs runway extension will take away traffic and competition from CKB. In my opinion, he views the extension as a threat to not only the airport but to his local economy AND THAT IS WHY HE IS IN OPPOSITION OF THE PROJECT. I like how he is concerned for the common tax payer but as mentioned in my points above, the tax dollars are WELL SPENT. They will help drive an already productive economy and make the Greater Morgantown Area thrive!!!
Here's an idea. Let MGW do their thing and CKB can stop wasting their time writing their local senators and government officials to find a counter strategy.
An excellent post. I do believe thought that in the final analysis, Morgantown's prosperity will only help the Clarksburg economy. Let's face it, Morgantown-Fairmont-Clarksburg is really one economic and cultural entity spread out over 34 miles. The tie ins are already enormous with the FBI-WVU collaboration, the various research activities spread throughout that entire research corridor, the shared hospital resources, and really, a compatible, almost identical culture. A thriving Morgantown is an assist to Clarksburg, not a threat to it. It's an assist to the rest of the state too, but there is resistance from some quarters due to fears of losing political control. That control is going to be lost anyway... they should just get onboard and the reap the benefits of having a prosperous part of the state to help out everyone else, rather than a whole impoverished, struggling state with little upside. That's what would happen most places.
OMG. I thought you were being sarcastic about the international flights comments. I started laughing until I realized you were serious. Do you really think that flights from.......say London.......are going to land in Morgantown?????? Pittsburgh "International" airport only has one (1) international flight and that goes to Canada. I grew up in north central WV and love to go back, but people have to get out of the state more often. I don't mean Myrtle Beach.
OMG. I thought you were being sarcastic about the international flights comments. I started laughing until I realized you were serious. Do you really think that flights from.......say London.......are going to land in Morgantown?????? Pittsburgh "International" airport only has one (1) international flight and that goes to Canada. I grew up in north central WV and love to go back, but people have to get out of the state more often. I don't mean Myrtle Beach.
Who said anything about flights to London? I see you're brand new to these forums. Why are you posting here on the Morgantown forum? Do you have a legitimate purpose, or is their some other motive?
those that say its impossible because Pittsburgh is "so close"....please, its 75 miles away, thats not that dang close!.....I grew up in Denton, TX (38 miles NW of Dallas and 36 miles NE of Ft. Worth) so for starters we got DFW International obviously, one of the biggest and busiest Airports in the world....well Dallas proper has Love Field...Ft. Worth has Alliance (although its esentially used for shipping) but Denton itself has a decent sized and growin Airport......
those that say its impossible because Pittsburgh is "so close"....please, its 75 miles away, thats not that dang close!.....I grew up in Denton, TX (38 miles NW of Dallas and 36 miles NE of Ft. Worth) so for starters we got DFW International obviously, one of the biggest and busiest Airports in the world....well Dallas proper has Love Field...Ft. Worth has Alliance (although its esentially used for shipping) but Denton itself has a decent sized and growin Airport......
The Pittsburgh Airport is only 68 miles away, but I don't believe the intent is to try to compete with that airport directly. My impression is that commercial air, for the most part will be the usual DC flights plus specialized flights to tourism areas. International air is likely to be of the commercial variety. Mylan flies planes to many parts of the world, for example. People can connect to international flights anywhere in the world except North Korea via the flights to DC.
OMG. I thought you were being sarcastic about the international flights comments. I started laughing until I realized you were serious. Do you really think that flights from.......say London.......are going to land in Morgantown?????? Pittsburgh "International" airport only has one (1) international flight and that goes to Canada. I grew up in north central WV and love to go back, but people have to get out of the state more often. I don't mean Myrtle Beach.
One other thing to correct about your statement. The Pittsburgh airport has direct flights to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. Nonstop transatlantic flights resumed on June 3, 2009 when Delta Air Lines began flights to Paris. There are numerous daily international flights from there... not the "(1) international flight" you allege.
Reading some of the articles out on the web about the extension project, the international flights the airport will be attracting will be those of private corporations looking to do business in the Greater Morgantown Area. IE Mylan, Energy corporations etc. One article stated that a company with holdings in Brazil and Australia wanted to utilize MGW but could not due to runway reqs. A loss of business for MGW and the community.
Rumor has it another company is scheduled to locate major corporate offices here once the Gateway project is completed. There is a large amount of business traffic at that airport, and there will be more once the runway is extended.
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morgantown airport runway
