Craig Runway Proposal Pulled JAA Asks Council to Withdraw Its Request, but It Could Return

By BETH KORMANIK

The Jacksonville Aviation Authority is seeking to withdraw its request to lengthen a runway at Craig Municipal Airport, but that doesn’t mean it has given up its 35-year quest for the extension.

With support dwindling among City Council members and the possibility of pursuing other options to upgrade the Arlington airport, the authority contacted the city Tuesday to pull the bill from the council agenda.

Withdrawing a bill allows the JAA to reintroduce it at any time. If the council voted against the bill, sponsors must wait one year before reintroducing it.

JAA spokesman Michael Stewart did not return calls from the Times- Union but issued a statement that said the authority would continue to “thoroughly review and examine” issues surrounding the runway extension.

Stewart did call Councilman Michael Corrigan, chairman of the Land Use and Zoning Committee. Corrigan said he asked why JAA wanted the withdraw, and Stewart simply told him it was “to get more information before moving forward” and did not elaborate on its next move.

Corrigan’s committee granted the withdraw, but the full council could postpone the request when it meets next week if it doesn’t have an explanation from the JAA.

The authority is seeking to lengthen a runway from 4,000 feet to 5,600 feet, which it estimates would cost $20 million. It believes a longer runway will make it safer for pilots to take off and land.

Opponents have charged that the JAA wants to attract more of the lucrative private jet industry.

In January, the council gave preliminary approval for the extension, but momentum has shifted away from the JAA in recent weeks. The issue returned to the council for final approval following a round of comments from state agencies and other organizations.

Opponents, organized as the Craig Community Covenant, announced last month they had secured enough council votes to defeat the measure and saw the JAA’s move Tuesday as a victory.

“We’re very happy this has ended,” said Lad Hawkins, chairman of the group. “It’s been a long, hard-fought battle.”

But it might not be over.

Jeff Ludwig, a certified aviation attorney in Jacksonville, said the JAA could try to bypass the council by getting approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Ludwig, a pilot, does not have ties to either side but supports the longer runway.

The FAA has jurisdiction because it gives federal money to Craig, Ludwig said, and it could mandate the runway extension as a condition of continuing federal support.

“They certainly, in my judgment, have the power to do it,” he said.

Councilman Bill Bishop, who has led the fight against the runway extension with Councilman Clay Yarborough, said he has heard that argument. Bishop said if the JAA tries to bypass the city, it could lead to a lawsuit and that he expects that the JAA’s board is wrestling with the question.

“They’re probably having their own internal battles over this right now,” he said.

Bishop believes the JAA withdrew the bill because it did not have enough council support to pass.

“I fully expect them to come back in some fashion,” he said. “It’s one of those things that never seems to go away.”

Airport officials have been trying to extend a runway since at least 1973. In 2001, the Jacksonville Port Authority struck a deal with the City Council to scrap any expansion plans in exchange for splitting the port into two entities, one to concentrate on the seaport, the other for airports.

Hawkins remembers the fights over the years, even as he savors this newest chapter.

“We’ll be prepared to deal with this should it come back,” he said.beth.kormanik@jacksonville.com (904) 359-4619

(c) 2008 Florida Times Union. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.