Letter to the Editor
County frittered away airport funds
The Vacaville (CA) Reporter
Reporter Editor:
Indeed, having projects at the Nut Tree Airport being put off “for years” (“Plan to expand Nut Tree Airport shelved,” The Reporter, Aug. 23) is quite disturbing to the tenants who exist today and who have needs today. The “diamond in the rough” appears opaque for the forseeable future. Looking into the future, one wonders if this is part of a plan to perhaps do something with county property other than aviation. Conspiracy? No, it is much less latent than that.
When the $1.3 million loan for expansion was acquired, the expansion project was possible. Countless sidetracking by Solano County has helped exhaust available funds. More than $300,000 was used on debt service and other items such as internal self-serving audits. The time wasted exasperated the situation, since construction costs have increased in the lapsed time.
What about the more than 40 people on the hangar lists? This will take the 40th person more than five years to get his hangar. This will drive away some wanna-be hangar renters, but the 40th person on the list will still wait five years.
My airport “crystal ball” tells me that further encroachment will be allowed by the city of Vacaville. This will eliminate a precision approach, which will limit the type of aircraft and aircraft activities at the airport. The airport will become less significant, eventually leading to closure.
The so-called “diamond in the rough” will be lost forever, and this could happen before that 40th person on the list gets his hangar.
Barry B. Wells, President, Future Areo Inc., Nut Tree Airport
