Taking Off for Bluer Skies
A final interview with departing Blue Grass Airport director Mike Flack

For more than a year now, the Lexington community has debated the future of Blue Grass Airport. The topic took a new course -- and drew statewide-attention -- following publication of an article in last month's issue of The Lane Report in which Lexington attorney Bill Lear broached the idea of relocating the airport near the I-64/Mountain Parkway interchange, an area that would more readily accommodate growth.

Prior to his departure, Flack shared some final thoughts regarding the future of Blue Grass Airport and Lexington in general.

Will the Airport Board have difficulty recruiting a new executive director in light of the community's indecisiveness regarding the future of the airport?

There will be a lot of interest in this position. The difficulty will be finding the right person to deal with the problems. Most airports in this nation are in communities that want to be bigger and better. That, obviously, is not the case here. Our experience is that we don't manage growth, we fight growth. A new airport manager coming in needs to be aware of that and capable of handling those debates.

What factors do you attribute the inability of our community leaders to put together a plan for the future of the Blue Grass Airport?

The Mayor and the Council are reacting to too many small pressure groups and not taking the long view for the community. They don't really understand their role as regional leaders; Fayette County is a regional asset. This entire debate over the environmental impact study has been an emotional debate. The Airport Board is cooperating with the FAA to do a study to develop facts and information. Once those facts are known, informed decisions can be made. Unfortunately, the Council has rushed to make uninformed, premature decisions.

There are many misconceptions. It's unfortunate that so many lies and misstatements have been made, when what we need to do is participate in the FAA study to get factual information.

Under the worst case scenario, what can happen if no changes are made at Blue Grass Airport?

Under the "do nothing" scenario, we can leave the airport as it is and let the FAA solve the problem through their certification procedures. The FAA gives us the license to operate and they have the option of downgrading that license. The bottom line is that we could lose jet service. That's a very real possibility and the FAA has acknowledged that possibility in writing. This community needs to be very concerned about that.

The Airport Board and staff agree with the FAA and the consultants: our problem is not capacity. Our problem is that we don't meet current design standards and we have to make changes to meet those standards. Those changes could be modifications to the existing runway, building a new runway or downgrading service.

What is the benefit of having two runways?

One is to attract additional passenger service. We have airlines decide not to come in here because of our limited facilities. Another is redundancy: If you have an aircraft disabled on the runway, then you still have another runway and can continue to operate. Currently, we have to close the airport to do routine repair and service to the runway. But the main thing is to meet the FAA's standards so we can keep the service we've got.

What would be the negatives to simply upgrading the current runway to meet FAA standards as opposed to adding another runway?

The advantage [to upgrading the existing runway] is that you don't have to build a new one. But the disadvantage is that you're going to have to build a bridge over Versailles Road onto Keeneland property or over Parkers Mill onto Shadwell Farm property or both. Aside from the obvious problem of building a runway over a highway, it's a very expensive proposition.

In the April issue of The Lane Report, Bill Lear suggests moving the Blue Grass Airport to I-64 and the Mountain Parkway. Would this idea work and how much would it cost?

It's an idea that could work, but show me the money. First, You have to do a number of studies... site selection, a feasibility study, a master plan, and then an environmental study. All of those studies are going to take five years or more before you know if you can even build an airport. With design and construction, not to mention property acquisition and funding, you're looking at a 10-15 year process if everything goes right. We're talking about $750 million, a billion dollars ... maybe more. Where's that money come from? Those initial studies will not be eligible for FAA participation. Who's going to do this? The Clark County-Winchester Airport Board? The Lexington-Fayette Urban County Airport Board? The Northern Kentucky Airport is operated in Boone County by the Kenton County Airport Board; so airport boards can purchase property in other counties and run an airport.

Do you have any closing comments about your tenure at Blue Grass Airport?

In my 14 years here, there have been a lot of changes. I'm very proud of what we've done and there's still an optimistic piece of me that says the community will do the right thing for the airport. Once the facts are known, the Mayor and the Council will have to come to grips with the consequences of the decisions. So far the council has rushed to judgment and that's unfortunate.

Lexington has a lot of problems that need to be addressed and they don't get handled by argument. We have allowed Versailles Road and New Circle Road and Newtown Pike to become a part of the interstate highway system, because that's the only connection we have from Bluegrass Parkway to the interstate. So it's not just the airport that's a problem for the future, it's our infrastructure in general. We have a very nice place and people want to live here; therefore there's growth. With growth there's change. We're going to have to learn to deal with that in a more rational, less emotional manner. Lexington will continue to be a great place to live. But it's going to require better management, better leadership, than we've had.

Ed G. Lane is chief executive of Lane Consultants, Inc. and publisher of The Lane Report.

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