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For months, Jim Hickin, the county’s director of airport and industrial park operations, has been trying to get the county’s airport household in order.
“There are more rules to check out a library book than what to do at the airport,” he told members of county council during the April 15 meeting.
Hickin said there is a master plan for the airport-industrial park, but the operation lacks a written set of local policies and procedures.
The lack of clear-cut policies is hampering the county’s efforts to attract businesses to the industrial park, he said. “It makes us less competitive.”
He said the lack of policies was a factor when the county worked unsuccessfully with the state to attract a light aircraft manufacturer to the industrial park.
Hickin said there are a “mountain” of federal regulations the airport must follow in a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules book. “It’s our contract with the federal government, and they take it very seriously,” he said.
He said within one 27-page document are more than five pages of listings of other documents the county has to comply with.
But, there are no written policies for something as mundane as who has permission to drive a vehicle on the airfield. “Right now, we make it up as we go along,” he said.
“You know we are not much on rules,” Council President Finley Jones cautioned.
“It will not be a rubber stamp of someone else’s rules; we will have our own rules,” Hickin said.
Hickin said he would soon have a draft of documents for the council and public to view.
“At least we can begin to get some minimum standards,” he said.
“Do not have rules just to have rules,” Jones reiterated.
“We need rules if we want to have business,” Hickin replied.
“Just keep it simple,” Jones said.
Contact Ron MacArthur at ronm@capegazette.com
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