Taxpayers in Coos County, Oregon, have suffered from numerous grand plans, mostly promoted by the local port districts. The latest one appears to have reduced air service to the region.
The story began in 2003, when the Coos County Airport District asked voters for higher taxes so it could build a fabulous, $20 million air terminal for the North Bend Airport. North Bend is served by Horizon Airlines, which provides five flights a day in the summer, three in winter. The existing terminal was quite sufficient for this service, but district officials darkly warned that, if voters voted against the new terminal, Horizon might pull out altogether.
The new, $20 million terminal.
They were right: I voted against the terminal, and now Horizon is pulling out. But it wasn’t my fault; instead, Horizon’s decision was the direct result of the district’s wheelings and dealings.
Coos County voters, who seem to be socially conservative and fiscally liberal, supported the new terminal, even though many of them have never flown and some likely never will fly. As one Oregon coastal writer observed, when you visit the coast, you have to remember that you probably spent more money than most locals will ever see getting to a place that they can’t afford to leave. Anyway, some 53 percent of the voters believed it when they were told that a new terminal would support the local economy.
So the new terminal opened this month and along with it the district was proud to inaugurate two flights a day to San Francisco by United’s partner, SkyWest. This doesn’t sound real attractive to me, as SkyWest’s planes are smaller and less comfortable than Horizon’s and the flights to San Francisco are longer, more expensive, and less conveniently scheduled with transcontinental connections.
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The old, perfectly adequate terminal.
Everyone else’s enthusiasm was dimmed by the announcement that Horizon was completely cutting its service to North Bend as of October. Horizon publicly blamed high fuel prices and the fact that the new United flights would reduce its business by about 20 percent. But the real reason was hidden in Horizon’s petition to withdraw service.
It turns out that a 1984 federal order mandated that Horizon provide “non-subsidized essential” service to North Bend. As soon as SkyWest entered the market, Horizon could drop out and let SkyWest provide the “essential” service.
So airport district officials lied to voters when they said Horizon would drop out if they didn’t get $20 million for a new terminal. In fact, Horizon couldn’t drop out. Instead, it was only when the district persuaded SkyWest to fly here that Horizon had the option of dropping out. So now, instead of three to five daily flights to Portland (which has far more economic ties with Coos County than San Francisco), we have just two flights to San Francisco.
The district is challenging Horizon’s petition, but Horizon is adamant about quitting.
To add insult to injury, the old North Bend air terminal was served by a parking lot that, under an old deed restriction, provided free parking to air travelers. The new terminal has no such deed restriction and I understand they plan to charge for parking.
As it turns out, this doesn’t affect the Antiplanner as a few months ago I moved to central Oregon, where I now fly out of the Redmond Airport, which is served by at least four different airlines. One of the reasons I left the coast is that I was tired of Coos County’s get-rich-quick schemes that end up costing taxpayers and producing little or no benefits for the general public. It appears I got out just in time.
To match the pace of population and economic growth in Central Oregon, Redmond Airport officials unveiled plans Wednesday to expand the terminal building to more than twice its current size.
The project, estimated to cost $30 million to $35 million
Be sure to keep us posted on this grandiose plan floppage.
D4P,
It is one thing to build a $30 million terminal in a county that is among the fastest growing counties in the nation and quite another to build a $20 million terminal in a county whose population has been stagnant for 40 years. Unlike the North Bend terminal, the Redmond terminal is being built with user fees, not local taxes.
The disaster in Coos County was that they ended up with poorer air service after spending people’s tax dollars on an unnecessary terminal. Redmond is not going to suffer that fate. I am happy to pay my own way, but why should people who don’t even fly have to pay higher property taxes so Coos County can have an absurdly large air terminal?
I hope the move went well. Have you been to the Deschutes Brewery yet? Priorities! 🙂
IIRC – Bend Oregon’s population, just south of Redmond, was estimated to have grown by 50% this decade. Still nothing to brag about at 75k. But throw the growth of the surrounding region into that pot and you can see where they’re getting to as big as Fargo and it’s time to upgrade the facilities.
Hey…………. isn’t this move contributing to urban sprawl?
prk166,
The Antiplanner doesn’t drink beer. But I have been to the Flatbread Community Oven, Bend’s first Neapolitan pizzeria. (There is also one in Boise.) And, technically, I am contributing to exurban sprawl, not urban sprawl.
FWIW, I actually live in Camp Sherman, about 40 miles from Redmond and/or Bend and 10 miles from the Cascade Crest.
Yet another missed opportunity for the Antiplanner to move to Houston, “the worst recycler among the United States’ 30 largest cities”.
The city’s sprawling, no-zoning layout makes collection expensive, and there is little public support for the kind of effort it takes to sort glass, paper and plastics. And there appears to be even less for placing fees on excess trash.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/29/us/29recycle.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Yet another missed opportunity for the Antiplanner to move to Houston, “the worst recycler among the United States’ 30 largest citiesâ€Â.
You have to understand that The Antiplanner likes conifers, lots of coninfers–hey wait a minute, Houston in the East Texas “Piney Woods” belt! Must be he prefers the sort of conifers that grow in the Oregon Cascades, let alone mountains and snow!?
Must be he prefers the sort of conifers that grow in the Oregon Cascades, let alone mountains and snow!?
In-demand amenities, IOW.
That is: the cities in the Pacific states having trees, water and benign climate are all in high demand – this drives up Ricardian rent and golly, blame the planners for folks wanting natural beauty and bidding up rents to get it.
DS
D4P & msetty can’t help themselves by telling the anti planner where he should move to.
Planners don’t seem to like it when citizens choose something that is not in the plan.
A wise investment. Not! I think the city wants to pump public money into my local airport as well. Not as silly as this situation (only several million for an expansion), but still pretty outrageous, especially considering fuel prices (despite their drop lately, I wouldnt get too comfortable).
D4P & msetty can’t help themselves by telling the anti planner where he should move to.
Planners don’t seem to like it when citizens choose something that is not in the plan.
Libertarians and dogmatic conservatives are so entertaining when they don’t get a joke. Craig is soooo SEAR-E-IZ!
This article reminds me of the desire for local politicians to attempt to build a new school in town every 20 years or so under the claims that the old schools are “outdated”. Do you mean to tell me that we can’t build a school that can last more than 20-30 years? Damn. My house is 60 years old and still growing strong. Politicians just look to push their pet projects to be able to claim they actually did something. Unfortunately, too many voters are duped into beliving that action is good. Sometimes the best action a politician can take is no action.
Now if this money were going to a highway project instead I don’t think the AP would mind.
msetty said:
Libertarians and dogmatic conservatives are so entertaining when they don’t get a joke. Craig is soooo SEAR-E-IZ!
——-
Who can’t take a little teasing?
It wasn’t much of a joke anyway
I still find it funny that the so called “Libertarians” hate and fear real freedom. Thus we end up with lobbyists such as Mr.O’Toole.
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