[TowerTalk] SteppIr's suck

[K8RI on Tower talk]

> How 'bout Meigs Field in Chicago?  Daley did it in, didn't he?

Two things were different there but Chicago did get fined the maximum amount 
for not giving the required advanced notice. That fine in the future will be 
raised by several orders of magnitude due to the Meigs debachle.  In the 
future the fine will go from I believe $30,000 to some where in the millions 
and depending on outstanding grants it could be many millions.

However, as I understand it, Meigs Field was not purchased with and federal 
money and they didn't have any outstanding grants. OTOH there are some on 
going investigation as to the mishandeling of federal funds for something 
else were used to close the airport.  At this stage no one knows how much 
it's going to cost Chicago, but it could be in the many millions of dollars. 
Then again with Daily's connections it could all get swept under the carpet.

Things are a bit conplicated at present with a lot of politics being played 
as the FAA is pushing for user fees but most say they are not needed and are 
based on projections for future traffic that are completely unrealistic.  So 
far they have been trying things and congress has been slapping their hands. 
Who knows what we will end up with but the AOPA is one of the best 
investments I can make.

 Roger Halstead (K8RI and ARRL 40 year Life Member)
N833R - World's oldest Debonair CD-2
www.rogerhalstead.com
>
> Gil, W1RG
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Bill Coleman" <aa4lr at arrl.net>
> To: "Roger Halstead" <nra at rogerhalstead.com>
> Cc: <towertalk at contesting.com>; <ny6dx at netscape.net>; <K2EK at aol.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 11:34 PM
> Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] SteppIr's suck
>
>
>>
>> On May 12, 2006, at 12:30 AM, Roger Halstead wrote:
>>
>>> We had that too, but when they found that because part of the land
>>> had been
>>> purchased with federal money they would have to pay it back "AT
>>> CURRENT
>>> MARKET VALUE" and not just that portion opinions began to change.
>>> Also part
>>> of it was donated with deed restrictions.  I think it would have
>>> run close
>>> to the whole city budgett to pay off the feds and even the
>>> complainers shut
>>> up after that.
>>
>> It's actually worse than that, Roger. If a municipality accepts FAA
>> money, then they have to agree to operate the airport for a long
>> period of time (typically 20-25 years). It carries the stipulation
>> that they have to keep it up to standards.
>>
>> More than once, a town has gotten FAA money, improved the airport,
>> then after a few years gets overtures from developers looking for
>> cheap land. They convince the town to close the airport and develop
>> it. The town then goes to ask the FAA how much they need to pay back.
>>
>> Years and years ago, the FAA might go for this. But not recently.
>> They get the AOPA, EAA and other alphabet organizations breathing
>> down their neck, and the FAA says nothing doing -- you've got to
>> continue to operate the airport.
>>
>>
>> Bill Coleman, AA4LR, PP-ASEL        Mail: aa4lr at arrl.net
>> Quote: "Not within a thousand years will man ever fly!"
>>             -- Wilbur Wright, 1901
>>
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>>
>>
>>
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