Airport official defends control tower approval

As Hernando County Airport supervisor, Rob Mills said he is on-site five days a week and interacts constantly with pilots in the air and those coming in for a landing.

He talks to aviation-related business owners whose livelihood depends on the airport and smooth operations.

Mills said he and others on the property are convinced a new air traffic control tower is needed in Hernando County, not only to make conditions safer but to prepare for the future growth of the airport.

"It's not just for today, it's for tomorrow," said Mills, sitting in the airport headquarters lobby in direct view of the runway. "Even with the economy the way it is, the airport has steadily grown. Maybe not as fast as before."

County commissioners on Tuesday voted unanimously to enter into an agreement with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to approve $750,000 in grant funding to design and construct an air traffic control tower.

Under the agreement, FDOT would pay 80 percent, or $600,000 of that cost and the airport would pay 20 percent, or $150,000, from its capital projects account.

Mills said the tower makes sense from a safety viewpoint.

Economically, the stars are aligned, he said, because the county can build it cheaper during these hard times than what it would cost some five or seven years from now.

Mills said the estimated cost of the structure should come in closer to $2.1 million, far less than what one critic of the project cited at Tuesday's meeting.

Mills said the final cost will likely be funded through FDOT. If not, Mills said the airport will explore other funding sources or shelve the project until such money becomes available.

Mills said no taxpayer money will be used to help pay for the tower because the airport is self-sufficient and no money is taken from the general fund to support it. The money that comes from airport revenue - which includes leases from its 140-plus tenants - stays there and helps pay for maintenance and upkeep.

On Tuesday, David Lemon, a member of the Aviation Authority, told commissioners he did not believe the county airport is large enough or busy enough to warrant spending millions for a tower.

Lemon said he believes the cost of the tower would be closer to $3 million and based that on a recent structure built in Flagler County.

"An airport control tower is established when airport operations become so congested that sequencing and control of aircraft is needed to enhance the safe operations," Lemon said.

"There must be a documented need to regulate traffic flow before incurring a major financial obligation to construct the facility and accept the obligation to operate and maintain it for the many decades ahead," he added.

Mills said there are about 183-based aircraft that provide 82,000 operations (takeoffs and landings) annually at the Hernando County Airport.

Mike McHugh, the county's business development director, said the airport estimates it will start construction of the tower in 24 months.

Once built, it will cost the airport about $150,000 annually to maintain the tower.

McHugh said the number of building leases at the airport continues to grow, as does the number of corporate hangar leases.

"There is growth going on," McHugh said.

Leases vary depending on the age of the lease and how it was negotiated.

The Hernando County airport's budget for 2009-10 is $3.36 million, according to the county office of management and budget.

That compares to $2.84 million during the prior fiscal year.