Nothing on the Daily News, Destin Log, WEAR, WMBB, or WJHG web sites, or on the 7 newscast and if it were a verifiable story at this time, one of those sources would have broken the story by now.
PCB not so stupid now...
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We've done a fair amount of driving in those areas to test out the nifty AWD capabilities of the new family truckster, and as long as you don't stray into areas marked as closed on the map you got when you paid your $10 for an annual Eglin Reservation rec pass, then you're free to roam over a whole lot of territory in the north part of the county.
The only time I've been warned away from there by a Jackson Guard staffer was when we hadn't realized it was the opening weekend of deer season, and there was a lot of (civilian) gunfire in the air.
If the AF really wanted to close off those areas for good, they just never would have reopened them after a short term closure because of 9/11.
What is happening right now is that the DoD is requiring bases to charge fair market value for any leases they make to non-military groups, which is causing problems for some park areas that had been AF-owned, but operated by local governments under $100/year lease agreements.
That, and the AF is apparently ending one lease for a park in the Valparaiso area because it's too close to runways.
I got the same one, it's from the PCB Chamber:
Dear Chamber Member:
Please take a moment out of your day to write an email or a letter to your congressman and let him know how you feel about the new Bay County International Airport and what it will do for the economy and growth of Bay County. Thank them for the job they have done, and encourage them to keep up the fight until Bay County has a new airport!
Here are some talking points in bullet format for you to use, just because ground had broken we still have some battles to win to make sure we get the new Airport!
● $330 Million Project
● Friends of PFN - Group that opposes Airport
● 75,000 acres total
● 62 square miles of preservation
● Zero feet of bay front will be developed, all preserved
● 2nd Circuit Court in NYC,NY gets to make the ruling (they do not live here and prob. have never been here)
● Ft.Walton Airport will close in 2010 per Air Force (With or without new airport)
NOW IS THE TIME.... GET INVOLVED!
Contact information provided by the 2008 Leadership Class:
Congressmen Boyd email page
http://www.house.gov/boyd/zip_authen.html
Washington, DC Office
1227 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-5235
(202) 225-5615 Fax
Tallahassee Office
1650 Summit Lake Drive
Suite 103
Tallahassee, FL 32317
(850) 561-3979
(850) 681-2902 Fax
Panama City Office
30 W. Government St.
Suite 203
Panama City, FL 32401
(850) 785-0812
(850) 763-3764 Fax
Governor Charlie Crist's office
Citizen Services Hotline: (850) 488-4441
Executive Office of the Governor Switchboard: (850) 488-7146
[Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time]
Email address Charlie.Crist@MyFlorida.com
Mel Martinez office
Email address/site:
http://martinez.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContactInformation.ContactForm&CFID=1655110&CFTOKEN=25309206
Pensacola: Washington:
N. Palafox St.
Suite 159 United States Senate
Pensacola, FL 32502 356 Russell Senate office Building
Main: (850) 433-2603 Washington DC, 20510
Fax: (850) 433-2554 Main: (202)224-3041
Fax: (202) 228-5171
Bill Nelson Office
Washington, D.C. Tallahassee
US Court House Annex United States Senate
111 North Adams Street 716 Senate hart Office Building
Tallahassee, Florida 32301 Washington DC, 20510
Phone: 850-942-8415 Phone: 202-224-5274
Fax: 850-942-8450 Fax 202-228-2183
Stephanie Kopelousos
Stephanie C. Kopelousos, Secretary of Transportation
(850) 414-4100
605 Suwannee Street Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0450
Jimmy Patronis
http://www.myfloridahouse.gov/Sections/Representatives/emailrepresentative.aspx?MemberId=4369&SessionId=57
Capitol Office:
1102 The Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, FL 32399-1300
Phone: (850) 488-9696
District Office:
Suite A
455 Harrison Avenue
Panama City, FL 32401-2775
Phone: (850) 914-6300
There is a distinct air of desperation about that e-mail. One would think that if the USAF was going to close down FWB airport in 2010, they would have been shouting this from the rooftops instead of being contained as bullet-point #7.
I've come to the conclusion that (a) The PCB Chamber of Commerce just let slip a Classified plan by the USAF to close down the airport, (b) The PCB Chamber of Commerce has been designated as the official spokesperson for the USAF, or (c) they're blowing smoke out their arse.
I'm leaning toward "c" at this point, but just to be sure, I forwarded a copy to the Governor's office and a couple other places to check it out. We'll see what comes back.
BTW: Do any of the recipients care to post the e-mail address and name of the author of this letter--or is that information classified?
I've come to the conclusion that (a) The PCB Chamber of Commerce just let slip a Classified plan by the USAF to close down the airport, (b) The PCB Chamber of Commerce has been designated as the official spokesperson for the USAF, or (c) they're blowing smoke out their arse.
I'm leaning toward "c" at this point, but just to be sure, I forwarded a copy to the Governor's office and a couple other places to check it out. We'll see what comes back.
BTW: Do any of the recipients care to post the e-mail address and name of the author of this letter--or is that information classified?
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Lmao!
Thing is that I hear a fair amount of base gossip which goes on to verify, and I haven't heard any chatter on airport closure that's come from the northwest corner of Choctaw Bay. Anything regarding that has come from Walton or Bay County sources, which have their own reasons for stirring the pot.
If the rumors did have real legs, they'd be much more prominent. Look at the huge instant fuss all across local media over a back door plan to close the McKinley Climate Lab and move those tech jobs to California.
If the rumors did have real legs, they'd be much more prominent. Look at the huge instant fuss all across local media over a back door plan to close the McKinley Climate Lab and move those tech jobs to California.
Just curious as to how much you hear about the new highways which are planned to be constructed all over NW FL? I hear nothing on the news, but they are under way, with many already under construction. Any idea why they would want a second limited access road to run parallel to Hwy 20, from Niceville to the new airport in PCB?
I think that the only desperation is that of getting this thing moving. It is a done deal, the airport will be built, and hopefully sooner than later. The West Bay Sector plan will preserve a unique environment and is supported by the Audubon society. I support it for the opportunity it can bring to our area.
As for the validity of the VPS closing, I don't know. But you saw how quickly base access nationwide changed after 9-11, I think it is reasonable to worry.
The email was sent from an auto-bounce address, but again it was from the PCB chamber.
The idea for that part of the transportation corridor as presented is a general FWB bypass that runs from Navarre to Freeport.
And I'd guess it's just gotten pushed back by at least five and possibly ten years if the Air Force has to charge fair market value for the Eglin land involved in the bypass route. It's been mentioned that it is the case, and could make it prohibitively expensive based on traffic projections.
The second span of the Mid Bay Bridge has been delayed because traffic hasn't risen as fast as anticipated the last two years. The Niceville bypass from 85 to the Mid Bay Bridge is still in the works, though the Bridge Authority (which would run that toll road) is aslo looking at the same fair market value problem the 20 bypass route is in a couple of spaces as well as some private land purchase costs that could skyrocket. (It goes through the last large scale open land in N'ville zoned residential, and the Ruckels will fight to get their price)
And the Bay Beacon is far better than any other paper in the area for in-depth stories on those kinds of issues.