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Wednesday May 23, 2007
Panama City Airport Delayed
"Airport officials offered a handful of reasons Tuesday for why construction on the relocation to West Bay will not begin in the coming weeks. The search for the ivory-billed woodpecker, voluminous questions from bidders on the project and the yet-to-be-received final environmental permit from the Army Corps of Engineers are the main culprits. . ." (more)
posted by Jason at 8:46 AM
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Friday May 4, 2007
Panama City Airport Chooses Engineering Firm
"The Panama City-Bay County International Airport Authority on Thursday urged those connected with the construction of a new airport to move faster and work cheaper. During a special meeting to discuss and take action on items related to the West Bay relocation, board members said they want helicopters and jumbo jets taking off from the now-undeveloped 4,000-acre site by 2009. The $331 million relocation project is to be funded in thirds by state grants, federal grants and the sale of the current airport property. . ." (more)
This article mentions that HNTB Architecture had been chosen over PBS&J. I thought PBS&J had been selected as reported on 1/24/07. Do I have my facts wrong?
posted by Jason at 6:30 AM
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Thursday May 3, 2007
NPR Sacrifices Facts for Story, Tax Relief Delayed, Panama City Library, Rick Barnett Sexual Harassment
On May 1st, Dr. Ed Wright posted on a three part series about St. Joe and the new airport written by NPR correspond ant, Greg Allen.
"I knew the facts were in trouble when I heard the National Public Radio (NPR) reporter describe the Florida Panhandle “from Tallahassee to Pensacola” as “The Forgotten Coast.”
I’m sure that’s news to folks in Destin, on the Beaches of South Walton or in Panama City Beach during spring break. After all, our white sand beaches attract about 8 – 10 million visitors each year, making our region the second largest tourist market in Florida.
Forgotten indeed. But if you are NPR – and you’re going for a so-called "Driveway Moment" – you’ve got to grab the listener’s attention and set the scene.
It’s good storytelling, but let’s not confuse that with news. . ."
From here, Dr. Wright spells where Greg Allen went wrong in his reporting.
The three-part series from NPR:
Florida Company Plans to Develop Thousands of Acres
Overview: Developer Targets Florida's Panhandle
Developer A Key Player in Florida Airport Fight
posted by Jason at 6:30 AM
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Saturday April 28, 2007
Contractors bid on new Panama City Airport
The Panama City-Bay County International Airport Authority will allow eight construction companies to place "bids for the first phase of construction of the new airport in West Bay. The authority examined the qualifications, experience and safety record of 13 companies before deciding who could bid on the process, said John Zebroski, project director for the new airport. The eight companies left are “the most technically qualified to do the work,” Zebroski said. . ." (more)
posted by Jason at 6:46 AM
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Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Panama City Airport Relocation Winning Bidder Announced
Pittsburgh based PCA Development was chosen as the highest bidder with a total offer of $75 million for the old Panama City Airport site. Although backup negotiations are still being held open with the other bidders PCA and the Airport Authority Board will enter into a contractual agreement within 60 days. At this time, the Board should have construction bids in place for the new site and be ready to move forward. (more)
posted by Jason at 7:45 AM
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Wednesday, March 26, 2007
Panama City Airport Relocation Winning Bidder Chosen
The winning bidder for the current airport site has been chosen and will be announced on Tuesday. Two of the three remaining bidders resubmitted their offers with the highest bid coming in at $75 million. Details of the bid specify that the additional $14 million above the original $61 million will be paid over as many as three decades with proceeds from the development. The other bid promises $10 million hard at acceptance. The third bidder stated that he offered as much as he could afford. (more)
posted by Jason at 7:15 AM
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Wednesday, March 10, 2007
Woodpecker not to Stop Panama City Airport, Gulf Power CEO endorses Airport
The FAA has determined that the Ivory Billed Woodpecker is of no immediate threat by the relocation of the new airport. Researchers found that even if the woodpecker was found in the West Bay area, the area it would be most likely to inhabit is not close enough to be affected by the relocation efforts. (more)
Gulf Power CEO Susan Story spoke late last week bragging of the new airport. She said her Miami friends are "envious" because of the dev elopement opportunities and shear possibility of expansion in the future. (more)
posted by Jason at 10:42 PM
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Wednesday, March 1, 2007
WestBay Florida Blog
Dr. Ed Wright, retired Dean from FSU PC publishes a local blog on our area, specifically West Bay and the airport relocation. He offers great insight into current issues and is very tuned in as to the goings-on with the airport relocation. WestBayFlorida.blogspot.com
posted by Jason at 7:04 AM
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Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Airport Costs Drop
Costs are down on the new airport $14 million from $331 to $314 million. Most of the cost inflation can be attributed to Bechtel, the airport's previous design firm. (more)
posted by Jason at 7:04 AM
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Wednesday, February 24, 2007
Randy Curtis on Radio
On Friday Morning, Randy Curtis, the director of the Airport Relocation was on Talk Radio 101. Click here to listen to the third hour of the morning show.
posted by Jason at 1:35 PM
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Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Airport Sale Delayed
The winning bidder for the new airport site has still yet to be chosen. Among various reasons, one major one is the recent determination that the relocation costs have risen to $330 million. The winning bidder is expected to be chosen in February.
The article is here.
posted by Jason at 7:15 AM
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Friday, January 19, 2007
Panama City Beach and Bay County Airport in Atlanta Journal Constitution
"It will be either a major boon or a boondoggle, depending on who's talking. But one thing is certain — a proposed new Panama City-Bay County International Airport could within two years change how metro Atlantans think about getting to the sugar-white sands of the Florida Panhandle.
'Atlanta is a major market for northwest Florida,' said Bob Warren, executive director of the Bay County Tourist Development Council. 'This airport will give us a much more affordable and convenient regional air service for people from Atlanta and other areas trying to get here in a timely manner.'" (more)
posted by Jason at 6:48 AM
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Saturday, January 6, 2007
New York Times Recognizes Panama City Beach
The New York Times published an article on Panama City Beach that was quite flattering. The author speaks of a "super model showing off her good side" in reference to our "flaunting [our] most valuable asset".
The new airport is mentioned along with the strong growth we've experienced and optimism by local residents and visitors. Local Realtor stars, like Katie Patronis are quoted and Census statistics are stated.
Something else was mentioned that I used often in my active real estate selling days: Our beaches are almost never crowded. "It's not like Coney Island, where you're stepping all over each other. . .", a native New Yorker mentioned.
This is true, we have beautiful, renourished, uncrowded beaches with crystal clear water most months out of the year.
It's great that we are being recognized on such a national level (not like we haven't been in the past).
The entire article can be read here.
posted by Jason at 3:30 PM
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Saturday, December 16, 2006
Winning Bidder for Airport Chosen
"Talks with potential buyers of the current 715-acre airport site will continue, with a recommendation expected on a preferred developer in January, the Airport Authority executive board decided Friday. In October, the board selected Vice Chairman Bill Cramer as its liaison for a “fact-finding mission” with the bidders after an unexpected $13 million increase in the overall cost of the relocation project put further emphasis on the sale price. . ." (more)
posted by Jason at 9:13 AM
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Monday, December 11, 2006
St. Joe/Airport Relationship Story
Many do not realize that St. Joe and the Airport have a long history. They've been working together for more than 10 years. Many people also do not realize that it was the Airport Authority that approached St. Joe, not the other way around. Click here for an article on the whole story.
posted by Jason at 7:21 AM
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Monday, December 4, 2006
Airport Luncheon in Sandestin
On Friday I attended a luncheon in Sandestin hosted by the Walton County Chamber. The guest speakers were Randy Curtis, the Executive Director of the Panama City Airport, and Wayne Stubbs, the executive Director of the Panama City Port Authority.
I was able to record it, albeit not a good recording, and it can be accessed by clicking here.
The presentation by Randy Curtis was really just a reiteration of the same news, not a lot of new information. Some explanation was provided as to why the West Bay area was selected. Due to air-flight restrictions from Tyndall and Eglin Air force Base, and of course land availability, West Bay was the only feasible area for the new airport. In addition, Randy explained that they were on target for a ground breaking in March/April 2007. There was a large audience present and when the ground breaking date was mentioned the audience broke into applause. There was a question/answer section at the end of the presentation, and the feedback I heard was all positive.
posted by Jason at 7:21 AM
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Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Panama City Airport Conservation Easement
On Tuesday St. Joe recorded the conservation easement for 9,609 acres. This will become permanent upon commencement of construction of the new airport.
To be quite frank, I had completely forgotten about the 10,000 acre conservation easement that is to be included in the land donation by St. Joe for the new airport. This is miniscule compared to the 40,000 acres St. Joe has committed to dedicate to conservation under the West Bay Sector Plan.
The West Bay Sector Plan consists of approximately 78,000 acres and was passed by the Bay county Commission in 2003.
Click here for the News Herald article.
Click here for the St. Joe press release.
posted by Jason at 11:53 PM
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Monday, November 6, 2006
Panama City Airport Construction Costs Continue to Rise
An article in the News Herald yesterday spoke into the continually rising construction costs of the new airport. The cost grew from $218M in 2000 to roughly $330M now. Increases in construction costs and inflation are to blame. In all honesty, what did we expect? As time passes, the price always goes up. Of course the price went up, the only question is how much more is it going to go up before construction can begin? A link to the article can be found here.
I stand in support of the new airport, but at what point do we throw in the towel and say this is too much money? At what point do we cross the line? There's always got to be a breaking point.
Something has to be done. We need to either get our airport up to regulation or build a new airport. Obviously modifying the existing one would be less expensive, but last time that was discussed, the environmentalists cited that harm would be done to the sea grass beds. What would cause more harm to the environment, extending the current runway, or building a new airport?
What if the airport purchased more land inland and 390 was re-routed? Would that be possible?
posted by Jason at 6:09 PM
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Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Higher Construction Costs on Airport
The cost of construction for the new Bay County Airport has risen $13 million to $331 million. The rise in materials cost is the major contributing factor. Still, all things considered, this doesn't seem too bad considering the Grand Lagoon Bridge construction cost went up 49%, this is only 4%. Why is that number so different anyway? Are the materials used that different? Or is there other factors that I’m not aware of?
A link to the airport article can be found by clicking here. The article about the Grand Lagoon Bridge can be found here.
Some think we should reflect the increase in cost in the asking price for the old airport site. That's just the thing, there was no asking price. The board had an idea on what they would need to make the relocation happen, however, the process was to include bids in order to bring the highest price the market would yield. In addition, the bidding process on this particular transaction did not allow competing bids an awareness of what the competition was offering. This allows the natural process of professionals offering what they think the property is worth given the current market conditions.
At this point, if the board goes back to the bidders and states that their offers are not enough to cover rising construction costs, they risk losing some if not all competent bidders all together. One has to remember, the bidders placed a bid based on what they believed the property to be worth, which in turn was based on their market analysis and future viable plans for the property. If they are asked to pay more, they may say, "No thanks, I've got another opportunity somewhere else that is better at this point."
posted by Jason at 9:07 AM
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Monday, October 16, 2006
New Airport = Lower Fares
Some of our readers don't think the new airport will bring lower fairs, however the authorities involved seem to disagree.
"A poll conducted last month by the Tallahassee Area Chamber of Commerce concluded that 38 percent of the 625 adults questioned would be very likely to travel here to use the new airport if it offers cheaper fares or a direct flight to a destination. Another 20 percent surveyed on the same question said they would be 'somewhat likely' to make the trip for cheaper fares or more direct routes. 'That’s the point of building the airport,' said Airport Authority Chairman Joe Tannehill and Vice Chairman Bill Cramer. 'That’s the bottom line of why we’re moving,' Tannehill said, 'to be more competitive.' The Panama City-Bay County International Airport loses some 10,000 passengers per month to other area airports with cheaper rates, Tannehill said."
We live in an age where we will make a little sacrifice of time to save a few hundred bucks. Why not spend 2 hours and $40 on gas to save $200 on air fare. If we have competitive fares at the new airport, people will travel here to save money. This is inevitable, we as humans are too cheap not to.
A link to the whole article can be found here.
posted by Jason at 7:29 AM
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Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Bay County Airport - Different Points of View (Cont.)
Along with any huge decision comes an immense number of pros and cons. There are always very compelling arguments to both sides of the story.
A reader sent me an email with some interesting input and included an article that was in the paper October 3rd. The article speaks into why the author believes air fare will not decrease when the new airport is built. Interesting.
A link to the article can be found here. In addition, Cathy had quite a bit of knowledgeable input on the subject as well.
"Obviously, you did not see the article in the News Herald By Pete Dial who is very familiar with airport operations. He states a new airport probably will not reduce airline prices but just the opposite. I believe that he knows much more than you do and that you by your own admission are not a frequent flyer. I, my husband and both of my adult children are and I can tell you that I am deadly opposed to the new airport. The need is not here yet. It is a proven fact. Look at the declining numbers of flights and passengers over the last five years. Figures don not lie, don't tell me it is because of everyone going somewhere else because the prices are cheaper and that once we have the new airport all this will change. I don't believe for a minute prices will be cheaper. Do you have any guarantees of that? Do you really believe there will be direct flights to somewhere from the new airport. There are no direct flights from VPS or PNS now either. Why would we have them here with a new airport. If there was a need for direct flights from here we would have them now. They use the puddle jumpers now because that is all they need to accommodate the air traffic here. They stopped late night flights coming in here because there was not a need. Our present airport is under utilized right now. I see no airlines beating the doors down to come here now because the need does not exist. What will make that change. Higher fees with a new airport is only going to discourage airlines not encourage airlines. . ."
A link to the rest of the email can be found here.
I apologize if I gave the impression that I am an authority on this subject. All I know is what I read and learn from others. Also, I think it should be said that I have no affiliation with the airport, the relocation board, or St. Joe.
By the way, there are direct flights out of VPS. I have family that fly direct from TX many times a year. And guess what, it's cheap AND fast.
posted by Jason at 8:53 PM
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Sunday, October 8, 2006
Bay County Airport - Different Points of View
Today I received an email asking me to post two articles found on the airport that discuss a point of view that he agreed with. Before you read it, I'll just say that it is a doom and gloom, shouting conspiracy kinda' article.
Let me just go ahead and say, if you hadn't guessed already, that I am very much for the new airport and the growth that it will bring this area. The articles mention that St. Joe has tremendous influence on the relocation and has motives that align with making their pocket books thick. Of course that is one of their intentions. Think about it. The purpose of being in business is to make money. If you have some complex of "rich people", "the man", or "the corporation", get over it. The American way is to have an idea, capitalize on it and get rich; some people got it, some people don't.
Additionally, St. Joe can build all the homes that they want, but if they don't have anyone to purchase them, the whole airport idea is flushed down the toilet. I could be wrong, but I'm sure St. Joe has done their homework on whether there will be a market for whatever they are planning to develop in the West Bay area.
Another thing the articles state is that the traffic at the Panama City Airport has decreased in the past few years. Of course it has. The only time I fly out of here is when someone else is paying my fare; it costs twice as much to fly out of here than Ft. Walton or Pensacola. If that's what I do, I'm sure many others do it as well. I'm not even a frequent traveler. Not to mention the small puddle jumpers that will only take you to Atlanta or Memphis. I'm getting motion sickness just thinking about them.
Also, you have to remember that Bay County residents will not be the only patrons to this new airport. People will drive from Destin, Ft. Walton, Dothan, Tallahassee and more to fly out of there.
I'm not as educated as some on this topic, these are just my opinions based on the knowledge that I have. I respect other people’s opinions and am grateful that we live in a nation that we can debate such issues. It is my opinion that the airport will bring great growth and progress to this area. I’m opening a can of worms, but what do you think?
The link to the article can be found here.
posted by Jason at 5:07 PM
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Thursday, October 5, 2006
Out with the old, in with the new - Bay County Airport that is.
I wanted to be one of the first to post this online, even though I don't have much news yet.
As most of you know, 4 bids went in for the sale of the existing airport site on Monday September 25. Those bids ranged anywhere from $30 million to $61 million. Some included a full range of possible development plans and others stated nothing other than that they will "provide adequate parks and recreational areas as determined by their experienced and knowledgeable land planner."
I would think that you would want to be a little more specific, but hey, what do I know?
I haven't read anywhere that they'd accepted any offers, just that they were releasing the bid specifics to the public. As there is not much news on this just yet, I'll be updating the blog first thing in the morning.
By the way, to get a glimpse at the highlights of the 4 bids, click here.
- Edited 10/06/06
The News Herald wrote an article on the release of information on the bids, they don't provide much information, however, a link to the article can be found here.
- Edited 10/07/06
I was doing some digging and found an interesting web site. Check it out at Aero-News.net. Also, click here to see what they've got to say about our airport.
posted by Jason at 7:13 PM
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Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Airport Deadline on Bids
Interesting morning in the news. The deadline for bids on the old airport site was Monday. 4 bids were received with offer details to be released in about 8 days. The site is approximately 700 acres with water-frontage. This could be an awesome place for a sweet development. A link to the article can be found here.
posted by Jason at 9:39 AM
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Tuesday, September 19, 2006
FAA Record of Decision
On Friday (9/15/06), it was announced formally that the airport relocation had finally received the FAA's last approval. You can find the article here.
To read the FAA Record of Decision, Click Here.
To read the response from the Bay County Chamber of Commerce, Click Here.
To read the response from the Natural Resources Defense Council, Click Here.
posted by Jason at 10:27 PM
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