Comments on Advance Indiana™: Indianapolis Builds Something Without A Plan To Pay For It, Again

The airlines did NOT want the new Indy airport bec...

2012-05-18T13:06:23.523-05:00

The airlines did NOT want the new Indy airport because of the increased fees. The airport will NOT significantly reduce taxi times as was promised. If the debt cannot be satisfied through airline fees, Hoosier taxpayers are on the hook for the debt.

The decision-making process behind building a new airport went like this: in 2002, Bart Peterson required a "pep talk" from Lacy Johnson - who as a political hack knows nothing about airports - to feel good about the $1 billion we're throwing away:

http://archives.californiaaviation.org/airport/msg23930.html

The new airport serves less than one-tenth the passengers that Atlanta's airport serves, if that puts things in perepsecitve. As of 2010, Indy had the 50th busiest airport in the US, after a 5 year downward trend:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_busiest_airports_in_the_United_States

Note that traffic operations DROPPED 10 percent from 2005 to 2010. How could that be ? Ask yourself why people use an airport. It's for business, or to go to/from a vacation, or to go off to a personal event like school or a funeral. Business in Indy has tanked - there's only one Fortune 500 business here and they (Lilly) have layed off tens of thousands? NObody comes here for vacation because there's no beach and no ocean. SO the long term use of the airport is flat at BEST, because as population grows, businesses will rely less and less on flying and more on teleconferencing.

The airport is a boondoggle designed to make certain people rich. Just like the Colts stadium and the convention center expansion and the library. None of this stuff is more important than "quality of life" and keeping taxes low - two things that *would* attract more business.

Airports = a lot of concrete. The head of the city-county council when the airport was approved was Monroe Gray, who owns a concrete company. The then-mayor owns a construction company.

And to think that only a few decades ago, Hoosiers...

2012-05-15T19:35:09.268-05:00

And to think that only a few decades ago, Hoosiers and their governments were known to be cheap. Now, they are spend, spend, spend; don't worry about tomorrow.

Umm, A gas station, really? Even if the price re...

2012-05-15T06:41:17.354-05:00

Umm,

A gas station, really? Even if the price really reams the traveler, at a dollar a gallon surcharge, you would have to sell a million gallons a year to pay a significant "tax" to the airport authority. About 3000 gallons per day (200 to 400 fill-ups), and even then, all you are doing is shifting the gas purchase from Marion county to the airport.

Golf & fly fishing are destination sports (peo...

2012-05-14T12:56:42.420-05:00

Golf & fly fishing are destination sports (people travel to do them), think driving & casting ranges to sample products or exercise technique. Technology stores like Apple, etc., could feature their wares to a traveling public. Museums & galleries might be good tenants, a bookstore featuring Indiana authors, a chamber sponsored Indiana store....