Thursday, October 7, 2010
Not a done deal!
When talking about the proposed Central Texas Airport, a common attitude is that “it’s a done deal”. Well, we don’t think so!
For starts, Carpenter & Associates doesn’t even own the land yet! The real estate is under contract but don’t assume it’s going to close. Currently, the developer is seeking investors which is a formidable challenge in this economy. No investors. No airport. It’s as simple as that.
In addition, there is a bit of backstory that might make investors wary. Remember the proposed Manor airport that fell apart when Robert Mueller moved to ABIA? Well, that was another one of Jim Carpenter’s grandiose plans and look what happened to that!
But don’t assume that because the Manor airport failed that this one is bound to fail too. That would be naive and very foolish because it seems this man is hell bent on building an airport.
Even if the money appears and the contracts close it’s still not a done deal. Final plans have not yet been submitted to Bastrop County for approval and those plans are going to be scrutinized very closely.
Although an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not required because there is no federal funding involved, there is a very real possibility that at some point one will be ordered. Since the Colorado River and surrounding habitat will be severely impacted by this project it is only prudent to do so.
Two other studies should also be done. One to assess the impact of increased traffic on FM969 and FM1704 and another to determine a base noise level for the areas surrounding the airport.
Perhaps the Bastrop County Commissioners will step up, take responsibility for the deficiencies in the 381 Agreement that make this airport nightmare a very real possibility and put this project to rest. After all, their job should be to protect the citizens and resources of Bastrop county not to put them in harm’s way.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Roads to F1 could be slow going
One concern about the proposed airport and ‘green’ corporate complex is the amount of traffic it would generate on FM 969 and FM 1704, both two lane roads with no shoulder. A good comparison might be the traffic pattens expected for the F1 (Formula One racetrack) coming to Elroy. Ben Wear’s September 13, 2010 article Roads to F1 could be slow going describes what the future could hold for Bastrop county citizens living along these inadequate access roads.
