This smile is long overdue. Kent Marshall has talked about the potential of "his" airport for many years but never mentioned what or who was the holdup. When talking to Kent he would only admit that the customer couldn't get so much as a tire repaired. By offering cheap gas he did increase the landings and take offs. I mentioned the City Council, Airport Commission and individuals who might have stood in the way of progress but Kent never took the bait. His reward will be to see it grow. Thanks to Tracy Agnew who arranged this picture of a nice guy in the SNH. I expect Roger Leonard, a member of the InsideSuffolk team to comment. If I remember correctly he joined the battle for airport improvement a long time ago.
27 comments:
Great news for Kent, and it's good to see that you DO recognize there are good employees within the City's ranks. Kent is a great man and I'm happy for him.
There are many good city employees that do excellent work and aren't necessarily at the top of their department. But not all are good managers and would rather work harder themselves than take the time to "train" their employees. And there were many that should not have been terminated or allowed to escape because they were underfunded or under appreciated.
How does an airport in southside of the city put Suffolk in much stronger recruiting position as stated by the SNH? Explain how much weight does executive airport have on their decision making process when nearly all large new employers are located in the Northside closer to other airports.
Once again we are subjected to another built it and they will come mentality by reporters that never owned or managed a business. Haven't we had enough of that this type of thinking with the SCCA, the Garden Hilton, the conference center, and the marina. At least the airport charges fees for aircraft the twice built downtown marina for the wealthy and priviledged doesn't even do that. Let's do the right thing and support Councilman Barclay's call for an Airport Authority so they can stick it to you again.
The SNH would want you to think that this airport has the traffic of say Langley or Oceana. If you look at the FAA sats for the airport, I question where did they get the statics? I think the airport should be able to expand their services but not based on the volume of traffic that the SNH or the city is claiming. Google FAA Suffolk Regional Airport. You decide and you will question what the city is saying. Its BS
the FAA and the VA. Dept. of Aviation are paying 98% of the cost of this expansion. The City picks up the remaining 2%. Which equates to $20,000 for each Million. If the major funding sourses believe it is a worthwhile project shouldn’t we should celebrate the fact that the City was able to get this project funded? And it is not OBAMA stimulus money. The money comes from various fees and taxes which are paid from the aviation industry users. These being the same users who will benefit from the improvements.
While SFQ (that being the 3 letter symbol for Suffolk Executive Airport) may not be a commercial airport, it is certainly an asset to the City of Suffolk. Businesses such as Target, Tipton Tea, QVC, BASF and others use it all the time as well as other potential economic development potentials which stop by Suffolk to kick the tires.
Kent puts his heart and soul into his job and does a great job. Before criticizing, I recommend you take a trip to SFQ on a sunny day and check out the activity. And while you are there ask to speak with Kent, I believe you will be impressed!
Yes the writer has visited Suffolk SFQ-CQD airfield many times in the past and seen how little it is utilized. It's funny how those businesses mentioned as using the airfield all the time don't have corprorate jets or even a turbo-prop on site. Unless Suffolk has it's own version of Area 51 Hangar 18 they are no where to be seen. Although UFOs have been sighted in Suffolk as recently as yesterday off of Godwin Blvd they are not at the airfield. If as you say the airfield is used by Target, Lipton, BASF and QVC, it is limited and very briefly as part of a stop over and not aircraft based here full time. In these hard times wouldn't it be far more economical to hire or purchase a stretch limosine and chauffeur the executives to their meetings from another airport than spend millions more of our tax dollars? To clarify this point, the funds from the FAA the Virginia Dept of Aviation and the City of Suffolk doesn't just come out of thin air, it is borrowed money based upon tax revenue from you and me. Herein is the crux of the problem that exists between government their facilitators in the media and the general public. Who's money are you spending? If you believe this is a worthwhile project that will put Suffolk in a stronger recruiting position based largely on assumptions and hope, then tell us why there isn't the funding or will to rebuild the King's Highway Bridge? Surely this is an obvious example to any prospective or current employer of how bad the city's infrastucture and planning has become under the current administration.
the State and Fed's put money into different pots. I think most would agree that funds/taxes collected from the sale of fet fuel should not go towards roadway projects any more than fuel taxes used by cars should go towards building a runway for planes. That is why you can not use and in my opinion should not use aviation collected taxes to build a new kings Hwy Bridge.
and believe it or not, some of the big executives for major companies are so time sensitive they prefer to spend the extra money to fly to Suffolk and use SFQ than to take a less expensive ride in a lemo.
This is another example of how our local politicians and city staff hacks forget that State and Federal Monies do come out of our pockets too! Most of the cost for this work does not come from fuel taxes like some have said. It comes from our taxes paid for income and other taxes that have nothing to do with such.
I too have been by to see the airport and even took a few lessons when they used to have a pilot shop out there. I think a guy named Leonard ran it and he seemed like a sharp guy. He had a nice operation and he closed-up shop because you could not make it work or pay. If a small pilot shop could not make it on this "White-Elephant", do you realy expect us to believe all the hype about big business making this worth-while too?
This is nothing but fairy-tails about spending our money for "Build-it-and-they-will-come" lies as usual. I like having an airport, but don't tell me how valuable it is if you are lying through your teeth to make it look better than it really is! As I understand it, there now are no businesses out there but the skydivers and one small little mechanic that works part-time on helicopters or such in an old city building rented for a few hundred dollars a month.
What a waste! The reason the Mr. Marshal is smiling is that he got us to spend millions for such a boondogle! This is just another example of losing sight of what is really important and what is not!
So let me get this right, we spend millions in public dollars so that a big executive from a major company can get to his meeting faster? Huh? The bridge was mentioned as an example of how askew transportation priorities have become in this city. Far more people would use the Kings Highway Bridge than the airfield. Spending just because there are dollars available does not make it right for a marginal if not questionable project as this one. If it fails to meet expectations what are the career consequences for those who have advocated it? Nothing, just like the Downtown Marina, and just like the marina we get the bill. Icarus flew towards the sun once before falling from the sky. It appears Suffolk didn't learn from that example.
If the airport improvements look good, whether they bring business or not does not matter. If it makes city officials look good it is good. Looking good satisfies the uneducated and brings votes.
These improvements are but a step toward Kent Marshall's airport dream. He is paid to plan and get results. He can't do it alone. And he can't always get what he wants. There are too many other involved and making decisions.
You got that right, Kent Marshal's airport dream. He is usually snoozing on the job and dreaming of how to waste tax money on an airport that is so quiet that no one even knows it is there. I find this kind of pandering fluff sick and only eclipsed by so many other examples of how out of touch our local government is from the rest of us. The motto is: spend it now, before the people find you have taken it from them!
This entire thing is sick and the SNH should not glorify it as somehow good for Suffolk. It is not! Please go back to sleep kent marshal and leave our tax money alone! If they want to spend our money, build a replacement for the Kings' Highway Bridge or something that the people really could use. Time to cut waste and fraud like this airport stuff that does little to help average citizens.
Apparently our local paper you know the one that Cares About Suffolk is whinning in their weakly "Stuff Report". They can't understand why they are they are taking heat from the public. Here's a few tips; Do your job not the city's. Ask why and follow up questions? Take nothing at face value from the city. Respect is earned never given.
Todays report from the Suffolk Executive Airport. NO, ZERO, ZILCH, NADA corporate jets, planes, gliders or even a kite on site. So why are they spending our taxes again?
tax payers interested in the issue of the FAA and VDOA providing funding to the Suffolk airport need to be aware that a much higher level of funding is being proposed to be allocated to the Hampton Roads Executive Airport, which is privately owned and operated.
There is no doubt that Suffolk can turn down the funding being offered by the feds and state even though by their formulas, SFQ is a worth while project. There are many other projects in VA including the private HR Airport that will accept any funds that Suffolk wants to not accept.
is that what Suffolk should do? tell the FAA and VDOA that their assessment is wrong and that improvements are not needed or warranted at SFQ?
lets remember that most of the funding for SFQ improvements are generated by aviation related taxes and that most users of SFQ support improvements to OUR airport.
So because the name Suffolk is attached and it happens to be in our city justifies spending millions of our tax dollars? Is there any question of why should we allow a private airfield compete with our government subsidized airfield? Why not ask anyone employed in the private sector what they think about having to compete against the government. To drive the HREA out of business because they are more efficient and better managed than SPQR Airfield is a criminal act by envious small minded politicians. It's about time the hacks who never had a job other than in local government understand it's not their money they are spending and that nothing is free.
I find it totally bizare that anyone would say that because another airport gets money we should too, as an excuse for a poorly framed project like this!
Not everyone in Suffolk thinks that wasting more money at the little airport that can't (Suffolk "Executive Tastes" Airport) is a good idea, just because they can. We all need to demand notive, that wasting our tax dollars is never a good idea. This little airport has never tunred a dime in profit, nor is it in anyway a dynimo of economic development as they claim. Most of the people that come to Suffolk for business fly into the Hampton Roads Airport because it is closer to North Suffolk, where they want to go.
Stupid is as stupid does. And it is stupid to waste money on the Suffolk Airport, just because we claim it as "our's"! I bet the advocates that keep talking up the airport are City Employees! Anyone want to bet?!
I agree that the support comments about the airport come form city employees. Just like the way they talk-up things that the city supports downtown.
Remember that the old statement that: "I am from the government, and I am here to help you" always has a cost to it. In these days where government salaries are huge and they want to hang on to them, these people will go to no end to protect and promote their positions. There is no outragous claim that they will not make, just to secure their big slaries and cussy jobs!
It must cost hundred of thousands of dollars or even more for each executive that visits our local money-pit airport. If we have invested five million dollars or more over ten years at this airport and just a few executives have flown into the Suffolk Executive Airport for real business events, the cost per executive visit is huge!
Please say again how this makes any sense again? I say that it would make more sense to turn it into a big industiral park and make it pay its way. This airplane thing just is a slippery slope of bad and ineffective spending. Is it fair to spend so much public money for pipe-dreams and fuzzy claims of economic development business? I say not!
If even half as much work was put into saving the Kings Highway Bridge, we all would benefit! This just goes to show how out of touch Linda Johnson and her cronnies are with what is important to us all. She would crow about somwthing like this and backstab us about a bridge we really need.
Is this leadership? I do not believe so and I am sure many others agree and will remember such at the polls when it is time.
the way I read some of the comments is that the City should not go after available federal and state funding that is available for projects that meet their criteria.
some on this blog are saying that we should go after $ for the KHB but not SFQ. The reality is that because of the pots of $ available, the KHB does not meet the established standards for federal funding but the runway extension at SFQ does (based on federal criteria). In my mind, the City should go after federal funding that is available, be it Holland Road, Sanitary Sewer extensions in Eclipes, SFQ aiport improvements or the KHB.
granted, I would also adimt that the FEDs need to reduce spending on a grand scale. The reality is that if SFQ elected not to accept federal and state funding for the runway extension that met the standards of the Feds and state to be funded), the feds and the state would be OK with that and sent the money currently allocacted to SFQ to other airports., but not back to the taxpayers, or in the case the companies paying aviation fuel taxes.
Where do we make a stand on spending? There is no question the KHB served far greater number of citizens than SPQR Airfield ever will. But the REAL question is actual ussage. With airfields all around us does it make sense to drop millions on hope that someday someone will fly into Suffolk? What were the assumptions to lure money here, and if this becomes yet another boondoggle supported by Public Works whose head (please fill in the name)is going on the chopping block? Unfortunately by that time the money was already spent.
I also agree that we cannot let them spend just because they can get it. That is just stupid and hurts everyone. There needs to be means testing for these kinds of spending requests, especially for doubious projects like SPQR. To try to make a case that if we don't spend it someone else will shows the exact problem we have defined! The city staff remarks above has this one all wrong and it shows!
In response to anonymous August 2, 2010 8:00 AM and August 2, 2010 6:33 PM
be advised that the Suffolk Airport is not under the supervision of the Department of Public Works and has not been for more than a year. And as for spending the money elsewhere, the privately owned airport know as Hampton Roads Executive Airport has applied for major funding from the FAA and VA. Dept. of Avaiation and appears to be positioned to receive such funding. Regardless of what happens in Suffolk.
As for trying to compare the Kings Hwy Bridge to funding for aviation... well good luck as that is not going to happen and not because of City Govt.... take that up with STate and Federal leaders. But since there are totally different sources of funding between roads and aviation, I think the FAA and VDOA have it right.
Commentator 12:13, we know who pulls the strings at City Hall so please do not play your shell game with the public. I stand by my comment that if FAA/VDOA-taxpayer dollars are wasted on this absurd project there will be demand for heads from Public Works and if need be other departments. Plain and simple; you just don't get the wasteful spending message and that is painfully obvious to all of us.
It seems that only someone who has never worked a day outside in the real world would say something as absurd as the comment of 12:13. There is no free lunch pal. Instead of thinking could we, you should be thinking should we spend millions on such a project. But government workers don't think that way. No they only build bigger empires, demand bigger budgets and more personnel. Someday soon the roles will reverse, it always does.
It is apparent that there is in fact a huge differnce in perspective from those who pay the taxes and those who spend them!
We do not need to spend millions on the Suffolk Airport, no matter what else or who else is getting money. The Airport on Rt-58 is in fact busy enough to make good use of the imporvements that have been berated by some of the city spokesmen on here. I don't have an issue with use of funds for practical projects, but that is not how Suffolk Airport can be discribed!
Nice guy, big spender with your money.
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