Media Release submitted by Zach Nelson, Passero Associates
December 12, 2014 11:25 a.m.
Fernandina Beach’s Technical Advisory Committee held its initial meeting on November 13, 2014 in city commission chambers. The committee, chaired by Theresa Prince, was formed to oversee expansion plans for the Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport (FHB).
Zach Nelson, Project Manager for consulting firm Passero Associates, presented the FHB expansion study overview and 50-week timeframe for completion, introduced the planning team and discussed prior planning efforts. Nelson explained the meeting was just an introductory kickoff, and details would be forthcoming in future meetings.
Nelson outlined the process to be used to guide the development of an updated Airport Master Plan, develop an Airport Business Plan and prepare highly detailed graphical exhibits depicting existing and future airport conditions. He noted the last FHB planning study was conducted in 1999, and that a lot of good things have happened at the airport since. Given there has been and continues to be strong interest in the airport, Nelson identified the development of a strong and comprehensive business plan will be a major focus of the study effort.
Nelson introduced members of the Master Planning Team, who presented overviews of participation in the process: Stan Cottle, CCOM (Multimedia/Public Relations); Timeka Carter, Hansen Professional Services (Aviation Forecasting); Ken Creveling, Urbanomics (Airport Economic Development); and David Byers, Quadrex Aviation (Business Plan Development). Southern Resource Mapping (Aerial Photography and Mapping) has also been retained, but did not present.
Nelson also provided committee members with workbooks intended to guide and focus committee member efforts. The team will also be addressing such issues as long-term airport development objectives; noise abatement; acquisition of grants and other funding; non-aviation usage; agreement with the City of Fernandina Beach’s Comprehensive Plan; revenue generation via airport operations; and continued support of the Humane Society.
The next meeting is set for Thursday, January 8, 2015. The planning team will address content generated from the workbooks, specific goals and objectives, inventory of existing conditions and early forecasting.
Passero Associates communicates to the City of Fernandina Beach, its citizens and Municipal Airport stakeholders, the ongoing process of developing a master plan for FHB. This planning process will be periodically reported to the public in the form of meetings to be held in Fernandina Beach. The FHB Communications Plan involves conducting and documenting five public meetings and distributing concise summaries to the public via periodic press releases; email; social media; and a website (under construction). For more information about Passero Associates, please contact Zach Nelson at (904) 757-6106 or email to [email protected].
Why are there no “citizens” on this committee? Seems like we might be able to head off lots of problems if an “ombudsman” or other member of the community were seated at the table.
Simple answer to your question Betsie, is look who is facilitating this “study” and whom is on the committee. Passero for instance is not in the airport demoliton business, they are an airport development and construction business. This is nothing more than a study being conducted to support a desired outcome: larger, busier facility. One thing the protagonists never address is the capital for these activities comes mostly from the feds and state so it looks like free money. The downside is once invested, the city must fund the operational matters and is virtually prohibited to retrace any expansions without paying back the investments.