‘Let’s Think Twice’ About Airport

April 15, 2024 Editor, The News-Gazette We’re responding to your recent editorial which comes out strongly in favor of an airport feasibility study. It quotes glowing figures provided by the Rockbridge County Economic Development Authority about the 125 potential jobs, and economic activity, that a local civil airport would generate. It goes on to tout many other possible advantages.

With respect, though, it does seem to us that full disclosure would dictate that the newspaper mention that its publisher is an avid civil aviation booster, and was a big advocate for a local airport the last time we went down this road, in the early 2000s. Put to a local referendum, the airport went down to a resounding defeat.

Our local newspaper is a vital link binding our community together. We are lucky to have it, as other communities loose theirs. We have been loyal subscribers for 30 years. We greatly appreciate the publisher’s dedication to local journalism. We do think, however, that an editorial on this subject ought to mention the ties between this newspaper and airport campaigns, past and present.

Nobody is talking about who would be hired to do the proposed study. It must be someone who is not biased in either direction, and certainly not someone from the civil aviation community. Who chooses?

The Virginia Department of Aviation is quoted often in these discussions, declaring our community to be “underserved,” and pointing to the generous state and federal funds available for us to build a civil airport. Well, they are in the aviation business. Of course, they would say that. It’s their bread and butter. We would hardly consider their glowing estimates of benefits to be unbiased.

Nobody talks about the costs to maintain this airport if it is built, costs that would be ours to bear locally.

We urge this community to think long and hard about the unvarnished facts of this proposal, and not fall for vague or unsubstantiated claims of huge economic gains. Advocates seem to be telling us that gold is lying on the ground, waiting for us to bend down and pick it up. Let’s think twice about that.

ANNE RIFFEY-BUCKNER DAVID N. BUCKNER Rockbridge County