Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Stormwater in the Marsh

RMA and Ms. Couch are not the bad guys here; DEP has relented to pressures to "get 'er done" despite abject failure of the "green" plan. I took my boat up there Friday, and in fairness I agree the needle marsh is not endangered at this point. Morell Branch, however, will never be the same - it is now a drainage ditch. DEP has relaxed their permit limits so much that water which is distinctly turbid (15 NTU) is now allowed as "natural background" and water at the limits (44 NTU) would be outright muddy. There is also a layer of tan silt coating the bottom and the roots of the marsh. I shot some not-great video clips, available here (they take some time to stream, but they are just a few seconds except "873" which is 2 minutes):

if you know these blackwater creeks, you must agree this discharge is bad. Unfortunately, the standard now is "legal", not doing the right thing.


http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/MB_031910/P1010870.MOV

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/MB_031910/P1010871.MOV

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/MB_031910/P1010872.MOV

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/MB_031910/P1010873.MOV

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/MB_031910/P1010874.MOV

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/MB_031910/P1010875.MOV

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/MB_031910/P1010876.MOV

in reference to:

"DEP: Airport Stormwater Not Hurting Marshes"
- DEP: Airport Stormwater Not Hurting Marshes — The New ECP (view on Google Sidewiki)

Morrell Branch Blues

RMA and Ms. Couch are not the bad guys here; DEP has relented to pressures to "get 'er done" despite abject failure of the "green" plan. I took my boat up there Friday, and in fairness I agree the needle marsh is not endangered at this point. Morell Branch, however, will never be the same - it is now a drainage ditch. DEP has relaxed their permit limits so much that water which is distinctly turbid (15 NTU) is now allowed as "natural background" and water at the limits (44 NTU) would be outright muddy. There is also a layer of tan silt coating the bottom and the roots of the marsh. I shot some not-great video clips, available here (they take some time to stream, but they are just a few seconds except "873" which is 2 minutes):

if you know these blackwater creeks, you must agree this discharge is bad. Unfortunately, the standard now is "legal", not doing the right thing.


http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/MB_031910/P1010870.MOV

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/MB_031910/P1010871.MOV

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/MB_031910/P1010872.MOV

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/MB_031910/P1010873.MOV

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/MB_031910/P1010874.MOV

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/MB_031910/P1010875.MOV

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/MB_031910/P1010876.MOV

in reference to:

"DEP: Airport stormwater not hurting marshes"
- DEP: Airport stormwater not hurting marshes | stormwater, airport, west - News - The News Herald (view on Google Sidewiki)

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Study: Airport to spur business

Archiving the lead paras for follow-up on later developments (no RSS feed from NH). Dr. Lasarda holds a very lucrative consulting contract with the airport.

Study: Airport to spur business
By SCARLET SIMS

News Herald Writer 522-5108 | ssims@pcnh.com
WEST BAY — Airports such as the new Northwest Florida International Beaches Airport will be the anchor for developing a 21st-century metro area, according to a recent study.

Which businesses spring up around airports is the main focus of a Gulf Coast Community College conference to be held April 2.

“We wanted to give the general public the opportunity to see what’s going on,” college continuing education director Debbie Mikolajczyk said. “This is kind of like the first taste. We want the public to have the opportunity to be educated on the new airport.”

The college is sponsoring a conference that is expected to draw 400 or more people. Officials from the St. Joe Co., three chambers of commerce, local economic development boards, Airport Authority members and state officials already plan to attend. Keynote speaker Dr. John Kasarda, Director of Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and Kenan Distinguished Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship, will talk on how best to use the new airport to draw business.

in reference to: Freedom - Panama City, Saturday, March 13, 2010 - ActivePaper Daily by Olive Software (view on Google Sidewiki)

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Tracking Another JOE Claim

Just marking this article - will try to track the 1000-acre development plan by 2013, and how many jobs "created" by JOE.

in reference to:

"St. Joe to concentrate on airport, commercial"
- St. Joe to concentrate on airport, commercial | west, airport, bay - News - The News Herald (view on Google Sidewiki)

New York Times has Higher Standards

The New York Times reported on New ECP in their March 10 Real Estate section.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/realestate/commercial/10airport.html?dbk

The Times does not allow reporters to take paid "media tours" so the result is bit more balanced. One News Herald commenter said:

"Pretty fair. Gives both sides."

I kinda thought they agreed with me; from the NYT article:

"it is perhaps more of a real estate project than an effort to address a pressing transportation problem"

Believe me, in Florida, it's always a land deal.

NYT did quote me:
“It’s been oversold, underdesigned, undermanaged and now botched as a construction project,” said Mr. Hodges, who lives in Bay County. “They’ve got layers of construction experts who have not been able to deliver on what layers of planning experts promised.”

To be fair, they quoted others too. You decide:

Britt Greene, St. Joe:
“Silicon Valley at one point was out in the middle of nowhere, We think we can do the same.”
“Tourism will grow as a result of Southwest connecting us to the rest of the nation,” he said. “Our new dominant strategy is economic development and job growth.”

Bob Montgomery, Southwest:
“Our job, and our challenge, is to build a market — a market that heretofore has not existed,”

Ben Longstreth, Natural Resources Defense Council:
“Unfortunately, a lot of what we were concerned about has come to pass,” Filling all these wetlands we thought and continue to think really jeopardizes the health of the ecosystem in West Bay — for an airport that was entirely unnecessary.”
“What we had wanted them to do was create a written document where they legally put the land in a conservation trust though an easement,” “They also could give it to an entity like the Nature Conservancy, but none of that has been done. It’s simply protected by the creation of a county plan that could be changed at any point.”

And finally Randy Curtis:
“Once the airport is completed and constructed, you’ll actually have a net environmental improvement in the area,”

in reference to:

"The St. Joe Company is working to widen the profile of the new airport and the entire West Bay Sector Plan by hosting several media tours for industry writers, including one today."
- TDC, St. Joe Bringing Media to New Airport — The New ECP (view on Google Sidewiki)

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

News Herald Forum on NYTimes Article

"Pretty fair. Gives both sides."

I kinda thought they agreed with me; from the article:

"it is perhaps more of a real estate project than an effort to address a pressing transportation problem"

Believe me, in Florida, it's always a land deal.

NYT did quote me:
“It’s been oversold, underdesigned, undermanaged and now botched as a construction project,” said Mr. Hodges, who lives in Bay County. “They’ve got layers of construction experts who have not been able to deliver on what layers of planning experts promised.”

To be fair, they quoted others too. You decide:

Britt Greene, St. Joe:
“Silicon Valley at one point was out in the middle of nowhere, We think we can do the same.”
“Tourism will grow as a result of Southwest connecting us to the rest of the nation,” he said. “Our new dominant strategy is economic development and job growth.”

Bob Montgomery, Southwest:
“Our job, and our challenge, is to build a market — a market that heretofore has not existed,”

Ben Longstreth, Natural Resources Defense Council:
“Unfortunately, a lot of what we were concerned about has come to pass,” Filling all these wetlands we thought and continue to think really jeopardizes the health of the ecosystem in West Bay — for an airport that was entirely unnecessary.”
“What we had wanted them to do was create a written document where they legally put the land in a conservation trust though an easement,” “They also could give it to an entity like the Nature Conservancy, but none of that has been done. It’s simply protected by the creation of a county plan that could be changed at any point.”

And finally Randy Curtis:
“Once the airport is completed and constructed, you’ll actually have a net environmental improvement in the area,”

80 days to make it happen, Randy.

in reference to:

"New York Times"
- The News Herald (view on Google Sidewiki)

New York Times: It's (perhaps) a Land Deal

The New York Times almost agrees with me:

"it is perhaps more of a real estate project than an effort to address a pressing transportation problem"

In Florida, it's always a land deal.

Susan Stellin did quote me:

Among the most vocal of those skeptics is Don Hodges, a retiree who worked in airport development for Delta for decades and describes himself as “not an opponent, but certainly a vocal critic” of the way the new airport has been handled.

“It’s been oversold, underdesigned, undermanaged and now botched as a construction project,” said Mr. Hodges, who lives in Bay County. “They’ve got layers of construction experts who have not been able to deliver on what layers of planning experts promised.”

in reference to: Square Feet - New Airport, Northwest Florida Beaches International, to Open - NYTimes.com (view on Google Sidewiki)

Monday, March 8, 2010

Track the Plan

Sounds like a plan. Lets archive the article and check the progress in 2012.

in reference to:

"St. Joe Targets Industries to Recuit to West Bay"
- St. Joe Targets Industries to Recuit to West Bay — The New ECP (view on Google Sidewiki)

Saturday, March 6, 2010

JOE's Plan for 2012

Kevin Johnson on the merits of West Bay. Sounds like a plan - lets archive the article and check the scorecard in 2012.

in reference to: St. Joe reveals timetable on West Bay, gears up marketing | timetable, bay, west - News - The News Herald (view on Google Sidewiki)

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Post Activity Reports Online

I honestly don't know how well Southwest will do, but the airport is notorious for NOT publishing traffic statistics etc. online. Randy could do a great service by publishing traffic and fare statistics for ECP monthly, so we would not have to attend the board meetings for an activity report.

in reference to:

"Southwest Competition Already Reducing Airfares by NewPFN on March 2, 2010"
- Southwest Competition Already Reducing Airfares — The New ECP (view on Google Sidewiki)

Post Activity Reports Online

I honestly don't know how well Southwest will do, but the airport is notorious for NOT publishing traffic statistics etc. online. Randy could do a great service by publishing traffic and fare statistics for ECP monthly, so we would not have to attend the board meetings for an activity report.

in reference to: Delta already has responded to competition - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - The News Herald (view on Google Sidewiki)

For the Record

I honestly don't know how well SW will do, but I'm posting this to have a link back someday.

daveeaux wrote:
SW airlines will come in and be very successful. This will bring industry to our town (not just tourism). This will bring younger people. This will silence the old timers in this little town for good. sorry old people.

in reference to:

"SW airlines will come in and be very successful. This will bring industry to our town (not just tourism). This will bring younger people. This will silence the old timers in this little town for good. sorry old people."
- Delta already has responded to competition - LETTERS TO THE EDITOR - The News Herald (view on Google Sidewiki)

Monday, March 1, 2010

More - FAA Standards

I personally agree PFN is also exposed to wildlife hazards, but as FAA said about many "comparable" capabilities, they try to IMPROVE hazards with new projects by furnishing standards. The wildlife hazard specs are "strongly recommended". The airport was designed to these specs but it appears it will not comply. The ponds in the crosswind runway area cannot possibly dry out in 48 hours without massive fill that has not been done.

in reference to: Birds, wetlands will always plague airport - LETTER TO THE EDITOR - The News Herald (view on Google Sidewiki)

FAA on New Storm Water Controls

here's what FAA thinks:

b. New storm water management facilities. The FAA strongly recommends that off-
airport storm water management systems located within the separations identified in
Sections 1-2 through 1-4 be designed and operated so as not to create above-
ground standing water. Stormwater detention ponds should be designed,
engineered, constructed, and maintained for a maximum 48–hour detention period
after the design storm and remain completely dry between storms.

in reference to: Birds, wetlands will always plague airport - LETTER TO THE EDITOR - The News Herald (view on Google Sidewiki)

Measuring Turbidity

bennett,
Here's a simple guide to turbidity measurement:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/Turbidity-Myre_Shaw.pdf

The Baywatch folks take samples back to a lab instrument that is much more accurate, but the measurement is still "how much light penetrates the sample". It does not discriminate silt vs organics but repetitive historic samples correlate with rainfall events, seasons, etc. These spikes into 200+ NTU have only occurred since airport construction.

DEP is now ordering NTU measurements at some outfalls daily or even every 8 hours - these are locations at the project boundary so there is no confusion about the source. All measurements cited by DEP in the Consent Orders were taken at these locations.
here's a key map to the locations:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3098609/PC%20Airport%20sample%20location%20map..jpg

in reference to: Airport should hug environmentalists, not ‘dis' them - PAT RICE - The News Herald (view on Google Sidewiki)

UPDATE Traffic Post

There will actually be 10 mainline planes and 6 regionals for 1700 departing seats per day.

75% load factor on that is 1275 sales per day, TRIPLE last years traffic. They are setting a tall bar.

in reference to: Delta will add larger planes at new airport | airport, new, delta - News - The News Herald (view on Google Sidewiki)