Gentle reader, while we were on hiatus we learned of an interesting matter, thanks to the reporting of Damon Lawrence in the issue of this paper for 21 December. It seems that the City of Oak Ridge continues with its years-old attempt to establish its own airport. Among other suggested sites, you may remember how a few years ago the city fathers were all gung-ho for putting this aerodrome atop the ridge near Y-12. That scheme, like other proposals, did not prove feasible. A similar fate may well prove unavoidable this time also, unless two obstacles can be removed or overcome, according to a letter the City Manager, Mark Weston, has sent to our County Executive, Wade Creswell, seeking his aid and assistance. The Executive has wisely refrained from providing the sought aid and assistance, unless instructed otherwise by his Commission. It is hoped that the Commission will support the Executive in this position.
Our younger readers may not be aware of the fact that over the years, there have been numerous efforts made to establish an airport in this county with limited success. First, there was the Lyles airfield east of Harriman; then the one between Post Oak and Cardiff, adjacent to the Roane State campus. South of the River is the site of Meadowlake, where the late Shelby Isham mastered the skills required to become an examiner for the Federal Aviation Administration. And then there was Fowler Field, named in honour of our chairman of the Tennessee Public Service Commission, Hammond Fowler, Rockwood lawyer, banker and newspaper publisher.
For a brief interval, Fowler Field had regular passenger service to Nashville, but it was for only a fleeting interval. For a time thereafter, the only fairly regular service to the mountaintop facility was the late night visitations of the narcotics runners.
We understand that the facilities for private planes’ usage at Fowler Field, now owned solely by the City of Rockwood, are quite acceptable. Our only personal knowledge of that fact was some years back when, as a favour to Kingston Police Chief Gary Humphreys, I accompanied him to the airfield to meet Larry Gatlin, of the Gatlin Brothers, who was promoting the idea, which never developed, of establishing a drug treatment facility in the county.
We do not know what kind of a facility the City of Oak Ridge proposes to build if it is successful in establishing one. And that ancient question immediately arises — Cui Bono? — Who Benefits? According to the article on Manager Weston’s letter: “If the airport project doesn’t come to fruition, the city is in danger of not seeing any return from the nearly $1.7 million it invested.”
What kind of planning management spends nearly $1.7 million for just an idea that can be stopped dead in its tracks by not just one, but by either one of two possible parties simply saying “no”?
If getting to this status in the planning costs that much, how much will a firm plan and actual building cost? Hundreds of millions, no doubt.
Run it over in your mind and I suspect you will come to the same conclusion that the old curmudgeon does. The only party to be served by an Oak Ridge airport, are those self-centered, self-important, big-wigs who think they and their time are way too valuable to spend them as we common folk do, in driving to the airport. After all, it is such a long drive from Oak Ridge all the way to Alcoa!
A factor everyone should consider is this: If any carriers choose to supply regular scheduled passenger service to a new Oak Ridge airport, they are going to reduce the regular scheduled passenger service to McGhee-Tyson, it being in the same service area.
Even more important is the global warming factor. The current pollution from the present aircraft operation is a substantial contributing factor to global warming, and it is not long before restrictions on burning jet fuel is going to become a factor in permitting or denying flying.
Operation of an airfield requires certain federal personnel without which the field cannot operate. It will require a decade to get anywhere near to operational status for a new airport. By 2033, will a new airport at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, seem to be in the public interest? And will the public interest be promoted by its establishment and staffing?
At a time when the facilities at K-25, X-10 and Y-12 were considered essential to our national existence, and the transportation of the personnel working there was considered essential to their operation, it was never considered necessary to provide an independent, separate, airport for Oak Ridge or working there, or traveling to or from there. Why is it different now? Why are these folks special? If they are indeed special, provide them a helicopter service to Blount County which needs only a landing pad, not an airport.
To conclude, I repeat my congratulations to County Executive Wade Creswell, for his perspicuity in declining to get himself or our county involved in this controversy. One feels much better as to the future similar situations, which there doubtless will be. From the very establishment of the city government of Oak Ridge there has been an inclination on their part to regard the county government of Roane County as their inferiors, and who ought to recognize that inferiority, and do as they’re told!
In making this allegation, I speak from experience. The first manifestation was in the celebrated Japanese uranium taxation litigation. It is too lengthy and complex to go into in detail here, but in brief, the facts were these:
Ten Japanese utility companies had bought sufficient uranium to run the nuclear power plants they were building, but they had no use for it until the plants were built and operable, some years later. So they and the U.S. agreed that although they had bought and paid for the uranium, it would stay stored at K-25 in Oak Ridge until needed.
It occurred to someone that under the statute, this uranium was taxable property. So the city started the process to tax it. Joe Walker, Roane County Attorney asked me, as Back Tax Attorney to do likewise for the county.
The city’s attorney negotiated a settlement with the Japanese for one million dollars. The companies contacted me and offered me the same settlement of one million dollars for Roane County. Joe and I discussed it and decided it was not enough. Instead of going ahead with their settlement agreement, Oak Ridge made a new agreement that they would get a minimum of one million, but that they would also get as much more as we got for Roane County.
The Japanese decided to claim diplomatic immunity for their property and appealed to the Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger. In the meantime they continued to negotiate, but didn’t pay anything. This embarrassed the Oak Ridgers and so they blamed Joe and me for spoiling their settlement by not taking the million dollars, ignoring the fact they were no longer taking the million dollars either.
Kissenger set a hearing at the State Department in Washington, and we went up there. But the Japanese lawyers, including the former governor of Virginia, kept raising their offer, and I kept telling Joe to tell them, “It’s not enough.” until just before noon, and the one p.m. hearing, when I told Joe, who was meeting with them at their hotel, while I was in Arlington at my hotel, “Tell them two and a quarter millions will be enough.” They agreed and we settled and Oak Ridge got their original million plus the million and a quarter that Joe Walker and I got for them.
Despite insisting on getting what we got, Oak Ridge said they didn’t really want it, and that we were greedy for wanting so much. They still took the money.
The second experience was after I became the first Roane County executive. Al Bissell was Oak Ridge Mayor, and every time that anything came up where Al needed help on something, he would call my office and invite me to lunch. I liked Al and didn’t want to insult him, but neither did I want to go through the song and dance of his lunch and trying to get me to do something for him.
I don’t know for sure about this new crowd, but I would still advise Wade Creswell, if they start inviting you to lunch, to WATCH OUT!
The opinions expressed in this column do not reflect the views of this newspaper.
