A Vernon politician believes her colleagues are short sighted after they grounded a longer runway at the airport.
In a 5-2 vote Monday, council decided to move ahead with upgrades to Vernon Regional Airport but not to extend the runway from 3,500 to 4,000 feet.
“We’ve missed a real opportunity for economic development and jobs,” said Coun. Catherine Lord, who urged the rest of council to approve the extension.
“There are 97 jobs there and the gross domestic product impact is $57 million a year. That GDP will increase to $65 million with option three (extension).
Lord added that surveys show 55 per cent of the public and 65 per cent of aviation stakeholders want a longer runway.
“Why would we not do this when we have a majority supporting it?” she said.
While Lord was convinced senior government grants would be available for the runway, Coun. Bob Spiers insists $7.2 million price tag for the runway would have been a waste of money.
“We have a viable airport and it serves all of the functions we need,” he said.
The option approved by council will cost $2 million, and it includes runway, taxiway and apron rehabilitation, construction of a permanent terminal building, new hangars on Tronson Road, a dedicated helipad, an operation shop and a vehicle storage building.
Mayor Akbal Mund says the plan makes more sense than investing in a longer runway.
“Will it be beneficial for the amount of money we spend? No,” he said of the runway.
“You will never see a return on it.”
Coun. Juliette Cunningham also opposed the runway project.
“There hasn’t been a strong case for how many more jets we would attract,” she said.
“A lot of the businesses there have nothing to do with jets and they don’t need the extended runway.”
The city will pursue grant funding to offset the costs of improvements.
“The next stage is to take the plan for an additional public consultation and to develop the implementation strategy, which would include the project development phases and specific funding sources,” said Roy Nuriel, long range planner.
Beyond Lord, Coun. Scott Anderson called for the runway length to grow.
