An airport is a critical infrastructure element to promote growth in a given area. Our airport is undersized for current passenger traffic. A “temporary” but adequate building has been erected to alleviate the problem. There remains a ramp-space problem for multiple flights needing to be near the terminal simultaneously. Further, long-term automobile parking is stretched. Despite all this, the airport serves our current needs. The only passenger projection is an extrapolation from a low point in 2008 to today and into the future. How about smoothing the passenger curve from an earlier date?
So the question is, where will the passengers come from? Are they tourists? If so, who is building hotel space and associated infrastructure? Are they business folk? If so, where is the business expansion coming from? Where are the road improvements for all the additional residents? We already have a significant rush hour every morning and night. Where is the plan to alleviate that?
If we are building an airport terminal for future needs, there should be a corresponding plan by the city and county to support the growth of tourism, businesses, roads and housing. Where is that plan? Thus far, the only question asked and answered is: How much will it cost to build a state-of-the-art terminal to meet future needs and how should we go about the project?
The question that needs to be asked is what can we accomplish if we spend $10 million or $20 million (or some other value)? Does this solve the problem for the next 10 or 20 years – especially if there is no plan to accommodate this growth? The airport is a regional airport serving the needs of La Plata County and the surrounding counties. (Perhaps it should be renamed Southwest Colorado Regional Airport). A property tax on Durango and La Plata County residents alone is unacceptable. There must be a commitment from surrounding counties to also provide funds for the expansion. Alternatively, or in addition to property tax burden, a departure (and/or arrival) tax could be collected for each departing passenger.
Dave Larson
Durango
