Airport expansion deabate in a holding pattern

Horry county council chair Liz Gilland said after a lengthy presentation at Wednesday night’s council meeting, council ended up having a no vote on moving forward with spending money towards improving the terminal at the Myrtle Beach international airport.

Gilland said the reason is because some council members are not comfortable giving the o.k. on spending more money while a committee is looking into the possibility of forming an airport authority.  The Grand Strand Air Transport Investigative Study Committee, which is a group of local and state lawmakers and business leaders are what Gilland said, is standing in the way of progress on the Grand Strand.
 
“The reason was there’s a cloud of uncertainty hanging over our heads as far as who’s going to be in charge of the airport, is it going to be us, the county who owns the airport of is the state going to come in and form an authority and take it away from the citizens, we cannot get bonding for an expansion as long as there’s that cloud there.” said Gilland.

State Senator Luke Rankin, who’s heading the study committee looking into the possibility of creating an airport authority, said the group is not standing in the county’s way.

Rankin said the committee passed a resolution stating it would not interfere with expansion plans.

“Obviously something else is going on that gives them some concern or pause but it shouldn’t be and I don’t believe the public will believe that it is the perception or the reality that we are in anyways trying to stand in the way of this and block it.“ said Rankin.

Council chair Liz Gilland said now is the time for the county to make a decision about terminal expansion.  She said they are under a critical deadline because they have a once in a lifetime opportunity to expand the airport without having to charge the airlines extra fees, but said that opportunity will not be around after the first week of November when those prices will go away.
   
The 3rd meeting of the Grand Strand Air Transport Investigative Study Committee will be held on Thursday, October 16, 2008 at 12:00p.m.in the Horry County Government & Justice Building in Conway.