As a La Plata County resident and frequent business traveler, I wanted to respond to David Sparkman’s letter (Herald, Sept. 9) asking whether the air terminal ballot is diverting us from other priorities.
Sparkman asks whether the airport is being prioritized over water and wastewater infrastructure in Durango. It is not. A substantial upgrade to Durango wastewater was approved and funded last year, and the water facilities are undergoing constant improvement and expansion as well.
He also wonders if the terminal expansion is occurring because Federal Aviation Administration funds are available. The new terminal is being proposed because of the numerous deficiencies catalogued in the 2014 Durango Airport Master Plan such as the inability to handle daily peak passenger loads and the lack of space to park the larger aircraft that the airlines are rapidly deploying.
I experience these shortcomings firsthand when I travel for work. They hurt our current service and prevent us from getting new service as well. The FAA money and low interest rates help because it saves us money on something we have to do regardless.
Sparkman also asks if we could increase the surcharge on passengers. The Passenger Facility Charge is capped by federal law at $4.50. The airport is currently charging the highest charge allowed. In fact, charges that the airport collects will help pay for the new terminal and any additional expansions needed in the future.
Finally, the airport benefits everyone in La Plata County, not just travelers like me. Air service helps support almost 1,900 good paying jobs in La Plata County that otherwise wouldn’t be here. Visitors that use it generate almost $5 million in local taxes a year that pay for our public services. And 75 percent of all La Plata County voters fly out of Durango two or more times per year.
We all care about our public services. Neglecting our airport will make maintaining these harder, not easier, as our incomes fall and our taxes go up. A new terminal is part of the solution to good public services, not an obstacle preventing their improvement.
Rick Vojta
Bayfield
