Hickory Airport Improvements on Hold: Proposed City Fuel Farm May Face Possible Legal Problems; Rarely Used Runway to Stay Open
By Hannah Mitchell, The Charlotte Observer, N.C.
Nov. 25–HICKORY — The Hickory City Council voted last week to hold off on projects a city-appointed task force recommended to develop Hickory Regional Airport.
In two separate actions, the council voted 5-2 Tuesday to postpone building a fuel farm for selling airplane fuel and to hold off closing a little-used runway to free up more space for airplane hangars.
Most council members said they wanted to further investigate legal questions regarding the fuel farm. A company the city has contracted with to provide fuel sales and other services at the airport has questioned whether the city could legally compete with it for the sales.
The majority also agreed to put off closing the secondary runway until either the Federal Aviation Administration required it or a business wanted hangar space that wasn’t otherwise available.
The minority, though, wanted to move forward on the proposals, which were designed to build up an airport that lost its last commercial carrier in 2006.
Council members Sally Fox and Jill Patton voted against both postponements, saying the city should move forward on the task force recommendations to boost the airport and the city’s economy. Council member Z. Ann Hoyle abstained on the runway vote, but an abstention is counted as a yes vote.
The decisions came after long public hearings on both issues during which pilots and others praised or criticized proposals.
Some people urged caution, saying that closing the secondary runway could pose safety hazards in certain weather conditions and that city fuel farms tend to charge high prices for fuel and have bad service.
David Sexton, a spokesman for Profile Aviation, the airport’s only seller of fuel and other airplane services, said that closing the runway “is just not reasonable thinking.”
“You’re asking people to give up a lot in exchange for something that’s just a speculation at this time,” said pilot Gene Spainhour, referring to the runway closing.
Others advised going forward with the projects to make the airport more attractive to pilots and new companies. Some also said Profile needs competition to give customers a choice on services.
“It does come back to a monopoly,” said pilot Bobby Baker. “Do you go on with business as usual or do you try to do something to get a better situation?”
Steve Ivester, a pilot who served on the airport task force, said the secondary runway is rarely used, as did other pilots.
But in the end, the council proceeded with caution. The runway could be closed if a company comes to the city with a “viable” business project or the FAA requires improvements to the strip, council member Bruce Meisner said. Meanwhile, the city needs more information about its legal standing regarding the fuel farm, Mayor Rudy Wright said.
Hannah Mitchell: 828-324-0055
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