"Utah's booming St. George sees a new airport as vital to its future"

Monday, July 12, 2004

Booming St. George sees a new airport as vital to its future 
By Nancy Perkins
The Deseret (UT) Morning News


ST. GEORGE - Summer temperatures are back - but the real sizzle this
year in Utah's Dixie is the economy. With sales up 12 percent,
unemployment half the state's average and an apparently unrelenting
surge in the number of newcomers, economists and local officials see
nothing but blue skies ahead.

And big planes in those skies - as well as a brand new airport for the
future to land on.

The St. George of tomorrow has already outgrown the city's single-lane,
geologically bound mesa airport near downtown. Lengthening it or
otherwise making it suitable to larger jets - those that carry more than
30 passengers - is impossible.

"Because of the growth that is forecast in aviation activity, which is
driven by population and economic growth in the area, these deficiencies
are projected to increase substantially through 2020," states an
environmental assessment of the current St. George airport filed with
the Federal Aviation Administration.

That's why St. George Mayor Dan McArthur and Washington County economic
development director Scott Hirschi have their sights set on a $78
million airport.

"We have to have it," both are in the habit of saying lately.

The new airport has even become election talk. Rep. Jim Matheson,
D-Utah, and his challenger, Republican John Swallow, have both vowed
their support.

One of the new airport's most ardent supporters is current airport
manager David Ulane.

"We're getting unbelievable numbers," said a clearly excited Ulane, in
reference to the number of paying passengers boarding SkyWest flights in
and out of the city's airport. "May revenue passengers were up a
whopping 35 percent from last May."

Ulane's enthusiasm for his job cranks up another notch when he talks
about the future.
 
"We've got huge support from the Federal Aviation Administration for the
new airport site," Ulane said. Federal funds will pay for 95 percent of
the airport; local and state funds the remainder, he said. "We are
breaking new ground here and being very deliberate. We want this to be
watertight."

Located about five miles southeast of St. George, the new airport site
of 1,458 acres takes in neighboring Washington City, which means both
city councils and other landowners must work together on the project.

"There are 26 property owners out there that we need to work with,"
Ulane said. "We've got kind of a blank slate when it comes to
determining the land use plan around the airport. One thing we'd like to
do is get a set of ordinances together that both cities and the
landowners can agree on."

But the potential noise from bigger airliners has construction plans on
hold for now. An initial environmental assessment concluded that air
traffic from the new site wouldn't significantly impact nearby Zion
National Park's peace and serenity. The assessment is being challenged
in court by a group that advocates for keeping all canyons and parks
pristine.

The court has ordered the FAA to prepare an environmental impact
statement that considers all noise sources in the region. That means
looking at noise created by flights originating in nearby Las Vegas,
Mesquite and Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

"Optimistically, we're hoping the EIS, which began in November of 2003,
will be finished in two years," Ulane said. "When it's ready, that
document should stand up to any challenge."

Measuring "noise" isn't as easy as it sounds, especially since the FAA
and National Park Service have different mandates, he added.

"The EIS has more to do with a national noise policy than it does with
the St. George airport," Ulane said. "Over the next couple of months, a
decision needs to be made on how to measure noise. Just what is the
standard? It's a big challenge. A lot of it hinges on traffic that has
nothing to do with us."

Lecia Parks Langston, a regional economist with the state Department of
Workforce Services, said along with assessing noise, quantifying the
potential economic impact of an airport that hasn't been built yet is
difficult. Still, she said, the replacement airport would provide
another plus in Washington County's enviable economic portfolio.

"The feverish pace of Washington County's economy has increased. Job
growth reached almost 7 percent in December 2003, and unemployment
continues to wane," said Langston. "Washington County is just an
economic maverick."

While there are charts, graphs, reports and other economic indicators to
support Langston's analysis, there's another reliable source to consider
- the folks who live here.

More people than ever are calling Dixie home. More than 58,000 people,
an 86 percent increase over the past decade, now live in St. George
year-round.

The county as a whole increased its population base by more than 5
percent last year, and the area's economy followed suit, according to
Langston.

"It's hard to be negative with such positive numbers," she said,
pointing to a 6 percent increase in jobs, a drop in unemployment to
below 4 percent, and sales figures up 12 percent.

Following the terrorist attacks on 9/11, fewer people traveled, and
visitation numbers were down at Zion National Park, which was also true
for local airline traffic at the St. George airport.

But 2004 is turning out to be a different story. Of the five national
parks in Utah, Zion is the runaway favorite when it comes to visitors.
The park recorded an 18.1 percent increase in visitors during the first
quarter of 2004 over the same quarter last year, a promising trend if it
continues, according to the Utah Division of Travel Development's Web
site.

Any way you read the numbers, from the labor market to construction to
sales, said Langston, Washington County "just keeps on getting better."

Attached Graphic:

Current and Proposed Site

st_george_airport.jpg