What should the City do about the Airport NOW?
 
 

We call upon the Mayor and the City Council to immediately change the course of their actions as follows:


  1. Apply to the FAA to issue an advisory warning Notice to Airmen (“NOTAM”) regarding the condition of the Venice Municipal Airport Runway 4/22;


  1. Ask the FAA and the FDOT to inspect Runway 4/22 thoroughly immediately;


  1. Begin the engineering/bidding process to rehabilitate the entire structure of Runway 4/22 immediately;


  1. Rescind their vote to seek a new engineering firm, and work with MEA/Hanson to submit the MEA/Hanson plan to the FAA and FDOT, with their requested Modifications to Standards not later than August 31st, 2008;


  1. Begin a dialog with the owners of the Golf Course, as the VABA has, with respect to alterations to the course that may be necessary to bring the Airport into regulatory compliance;


  1. Follow all state and federal laws, rules and regulations that have created obligations of the City of Venice to maintain the airport as a safe, usable and economically viable operation, without discrimination of any sort;


  1. Begin defending the Venice Municipal Airport, one of this City’s most important historical icons and economic engines, by passing a resolution to implement a public information effort to educate the citizenry regarding the City of Venice’s obligations to the Airport.


The Venice Municipal Airport is owned by all of the citizens and taxpayers of Venice. It is the Gateway to our City by Air, a link in the vital national air transportation system and the Florida Intermodal Transportation System as well as a refueling and staging stop for our armed services. The importance of general aviation airports during a major disaster was ably demonstrated during Hurricane Charley, when the Charlotte County airport served as a vital means of access and staging.


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