Letters to the editor #1

Posted

Letter to the Editor:

A recent headline in this paper (July 15, 2022) caught my eye:

“Regional airports powering economy in the Southern Carolina Region.” When I read “The hum of an engine overhead causes us to look up” I knew the reporter must not have been anywhere near a jet landing here, as she could not have characterized the sound as a “hum.”

The reporter provided statistics regarding how much economic activity airports are generating in South Carolina—but no statistics for our local airport. I would like to see the actual figures for new jobs connected to the airport in OUR county and town—not Hilton Head.

Much of the information about our local airport addressed parking (for cars and aircraft) and fuel sales. Do these visitors to the airport spend any money in town—aside from refreshments while waiting for their tanks to be filled? Let’s just call our airport what it is—a very expensive parking garage for wealthy travellers “just passin’ through.”

The airport terminal renovation cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 million. Have we seen any aviation-related businesses (or any that depend on close proximity to the airport) started in Walterboro—creating more than just a handful of jobs?

This paper reported (on June 9, 2022) that the projects that the airport submitted for the Capital Projects Sales Tax this year were ineligible for funding. Members of the Airport Commission told the Colleton County School Board that the location of the airport made it too dangerous for them to reopen a former school nearby. When are we going to focus on achievable economic development instead of an airport that is negatively affecting the quality of life for many—particularly those who live near it?

Carol Black

Alexandria, VA and Walterboro, SC