We need more property manager expertise in today's airport managers.

True -- but more importantly we need stupid, know-nothing bureaucrats to
keep their hands off the airports.

Our airport in Iowa City is a perfect example. At one time, it owned
everything around. Then, in the 50s and 60s, it sold a bunch of land to a
nearby farmer.

Then, in the 80s and 90s, the airport bought most of it back for clear
zones. That farmer's family made MILLIONS on *that* act of stupidity.

Here's an even worse example: Recently, in an effort to make the airport
self-sufficient, a previous airport commission carved off a chunk of airport
land, named it "North Airport Commerce Park", and tried to lease it out to
businesses, in hopes of providing a steady stream of non-tax income to keep
the airport running.

Great idea -- until the city "experts" got ahold of it. After an incredible
series of bureaucratic blunders our airport is now FAR worse off than
before.

Example: When creating the "commerce park" our city "experts" counted the
easements into the total square footage, and came up with a per-acre priced
based on land that no one could use. When the error was discovered, they
simply upped the price per acre to keep the value the same, because "that's
what they needed". This raised the price far above surrounding available
land, and no one wanted it.

Another example: Wal-Mart wanted to buy all the land, for a fantastic
price. Some idiot city bureaucrat didn't file all the zoning paperwork
correctly, which gave the anti-Wal-Mart activists a way to legally challenge
Wal-Mart's purchase.

After several years of screwing around in court, with no end in sight,
Wal-Mart just said "To hell with Iowa City" and walked away from the deal.
The land lost a prime retail area, and the airport lost millions of dollars.

Now, after sitting empty for years, the city is selling the land off at
bargain prices. And NOT giving the airport the money!

So, rather than making the airport self-sufficient, we have:

1. Lost our North/South runway
2. Lost land for future expansion
3. Not gained a nickel for the airport, because the city is going to keep
the money from the land purchase.
4. The businesses they're selling to are crap. Warehouses, outside
storage -- all the junk you DON'T want around your airport.

Talk about a cluster-f*ck. It's truly been an education in just how bad
government bureaucrats can be.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"