We need a new airport!!!

Transportation topics in KC
flyingember
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by flyingember »

Not enough unions in minority and women owned businesses for the airport to be both 100% union and 35% MBE at the same time

http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/edito ... 40439.html
Decades of unwelcoming and sometimes outright discriminatory behavior by organized labor toward minority- and women-owned firms have left the city in this difficult position. And while unions have an important role to play in the construction of the new KCI terminal, the reality is that this can’t be both an all-union project and include 35 percent minority- and women-owned firms.

...

The unions bear the brunt of the responsibility for this intractable quandary. Their past attitudes and behavior toward minority-owned shops have consequences. Today, only about half of the approximately 640 firms certified by the city as women- or minority-owned are union firms.
How about a different idea? Instead of promoting unions or MBE, allow both but require firms that are involved to include a minimum number of trainee workers new to the industry on their staff? To help fund new teaching positions at schools like the tech college so more people have more options to attend technical skill classes.

Because of this:
http://money.cnn.com/2018/01/17/news/ec ... index.html
Around St. Louis, building companies have limited ability to put up new homes as they struggle to find workers.
This isn't a St. Louis problem either. KC has a shortage of people to put up homes too. Our home was easily delayed a month over labor availability.
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Highlander
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by Highlander »

grovester wrote:
kboish wrote:http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/edito ... 13689.html

KC Star calls for regional airport authority.

KCMO should use this as leverage to get regional transit funding.
Hell yes.
Absolutely. Watching the council trying to play up to their constituencies by trying to extract CBA money from Edgemoor is painful. KC's politicians are trying to milk this thing to the point it will no longer be an attractive investment. And once again, KCI may be in KC but KC residents are a only a modest size minority of the users of the airport. This really needs to be a multi-county authority working with Edgemoor without any individuals with something to gain by delivering an amount of CBA dollars to a particular ward.
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beautyfromashes
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by beautyfromashes »

Council members fighting for pork. Embarrassing!
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grovester
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by grovester »

Highlander wrote:
grovester wrote:
kboish wrote:http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/edito ... 13689.html

KC Star calls for regional airport authority.

KCMO should use this as leverage to get regional transit funding.
Hell yes.
Absolutely. Watching the council trying to play up to their constituencies by trying to extract CBA money from Edgemoor is painful. KC's politicians are trying to milk this thing to the point it will no longer be an attractive investment. And once again, KCI may be in KC but KC residents are a only a modest size minority of the users of the airport. This really needs to be a multi-county authority working with Edgemoor without any individuals with something to gain by delivering an amount of CBA dollars to a particular ward.
My enthusiasm was for the regional funding, not necessarily the regional authority. They shouldn't do one without the other. Any regional authority would also have the pork hunting, just over a broader area of town.
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Highlander
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by Highlander »

grovester wrote:
Highlander wrote:
grovester wrote:
Hell yes.
Absolutely. Watching the council trying to play up to their constituencies by trying to extract CBA money from Edgemoor is painful. KC's politicians are trying to milk this thing to the point it will no longer be an attractive investment. And once again, KCI may be in KC but KC residents are a only a modest size minority of the users of the airport. This really needs to be a multi-county authority working with Edgemoor without any individuals with something to gain by delivering an amount of CBA dollars to a particular ward.
My enthusiasm was for the regional funding, not necessarily the regional authority. They shouldn't do one without the other. Any regional authority would also have the pork hunting, just over a broader area of town.
Isn't the airport regionally funded by default? It's funded by the users of the airport. I guess there is the issuance of construction bonds that would be backed by the city of KCMO and perhaps those should be a regionally shared liability even with as little risk as they pose.
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normalthings
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by normalthings »

Part of me supports regional control. Part of me doesn't want sprawl loving suburbanites to have even more say over a vital city asset.
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by kboish »

Highlander wrote:
grovester wrote:
Highlander wrote:
Absolutely. Watching the council trying to play up to their constituencies by trying to extract CBA money from Edgemoor is painful. KC's politicians are trying to milk this thing to the point it will no longer be an attractive investment. And once again, KCI may be in KC but KC residents are a only a modest size minority of the users of the airport. This really needs to be a multi-county authority working with Edgemoor without any individuals with something to gain by delivering an amount of CBA dollars to a particular ward.
My enthusiasm was for the regional funding, not necessarily the regional authority. They shouldn't do one without the other. Any regional authority would also have the pork hunting, just over a broader area of town.
Isn't the airport regionally funded by default? It's funded by the users of the airport. I guess there is the issuance of construction bonds that would be backed by the city of KCMO and perhaps those should be a regionally shared liability even with as little risk as they pose.
The spirit of my original comment was that kcmo citizens could try to leverage giving up sole control of the airport
And move toward a regional authority (like say, KCATA) in exchange for participating municipalities/counties committing to providing regional transportation funding commensurate with what KCMO currently provides to KCATA (we provide the bulk of local funding for the agency). This could help improve bus service regionally or be put towards a regional rail system. KCMO has something others want. We shouldn’t give it away for free.

Alternatively, kcmo could have the port authority run the airport. An entity indirectly controlled by the city, but free from some of the direct political problems faced by council control (there will, of course, always be some element of politics).

Likely, though, nothing at all will come of this.
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grovester
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by grovester »

^this.

KS needs to be all in, not be able to pick and choose which modes they want a say in.
WoodDraw
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by WoodDraw »

Someone who I mostly trust told me this is pretty much a done deal. They agreed to drop the max reimbursement by like $10 million and do the stupid community pork projects. I got distracted before I could ask questions.

Was there an official meeting where this happened?
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by KCPowercat »

Today the committee of the whole met today and asked questions. Was pretty subdued and seems like all the council asks are bring met....seems like it should be a done deal.

Know more Thursday at airport committee.
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by DaveKCMO »

KCPowercat wrote:Today the committee of the whole met today and asked questions. Was pretty subdued and seems like all the council asks are bring met....seems like it should be a done deal.

Know more Thursday at airport committee.
Aren't they expecting to have the full Council approve the MOU later that day?
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by WoodDraw »

DaveKCMO wrote:
KCPowercat wrote:Today the committee of the whole met today and asked questions. Was pretty subdued and seems like all the council asks are bring met....seems like it should be a done deal.

Know more Thursday at airport committee.
Aren't they expecting to have the full Council approve the MOU later that day?
Don't quote me but I was told the full council on the 8th. Committee on Thursday and then a week later to the full council.
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normalthings
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by normalthings »

Please contact your city councilmen asap. and let them know that you support Edgmoor, the MOU, and the new terminal.
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by hartliss »

WoodDraw wrote:
DaveKCMO wrote:
KCPowercat wrote:Today the committee of the whole met today and asked questions. Was pretty subdued and seems like all the council asks are bring met....seems like it should be a done deal.

Know more Thursday at airport committee.
Aren't they expecting to have the full Council approve the MOU later that day?
Don't quote me but I was told the full council on the 8th. Committee on Thursday and then a week later to the full council.
That is correct per councilwoman Justus today at her office hours.
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by KCPowercat »

If this doesn't pass on the 8th it will impact the critical path and delay the project.
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by hartliss »

KCPowercat wrote:If this doesn't pass on the 8th it will impact the critical path and delay the project.
Correct. How long of a delay is anyone's guess. Some appear convinced that the city can just move right down the line to the next bidder, which I am under the impression isn't correct. The RFP would start all over again.
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by KCPowercat »

Positive sign out of committee...I have faith this will pass next Thursday.
swid
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by swid »

The Omaha World-Herald has been all but mocking KC's airport adventures in a recent news article + follow-up editorial. If every council member hasn't seen these already...they should.

Eppley Airfield records its busiest year ever
It’s not just Omaha experiencing growth: Kansas City voters late last year approved a new $1 billion terminal for Kansas City International Airport, also dubbed by the FAA a “medium hub.” That airport also landed its first transatlantic flight, to Iceland via Icelandair, after the airport waived landing fees for the airline and the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce added money to lure the airline. Eppley’s master plan is less of a “build it and they will come” strategy and is, instead, a needs-based plan.

Eppley also doesn’t have the ability to levy taxes. The Omaha airport has to rely on the money it makes from landing fees and other revenue, which officials say makes it run like a business. Being prudent with renovations is part of that, they say. (Officials at the Kansas City airport, which is an arm of the city, say no tax dollars will be used for the terminal construction; that it will be paid for by airport user fees — though some people who opposed the expansion have said they wonder whether taxpayers will eventually foot part of the bill.) About 11.5 million people used Kansas City’s airport last year — a 4.2 percent rise over 2016 passenger counts, according to airport data.

Rather than luring an airline with incentives, as Kansas City did in the case of the Iceland flight, Eppley instead relies on statistics that show there will be demand for a certain flight. Eppley officials then try to persuade airlines using that hard data.
Editorial: Eppley Airfield's higher numbers reflect well on Omaha-area economy
The Eppley administrators and governing board operate in a professional, competent manner, using a strategic plan to guide needed expansions in appropriate stages, as local demand warrants. Eppley leaders have avoided offering incentives that might boost the number of flights offered but that wind up adding major expenses in the long run.
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by KCPowercat »

Who cares
swid
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Re: We need a new airport!!!

Post by swid »

Well, I do, for starters, but that's probably my Nebraska ties showing. :-)

But any, it *is* illustrative for a) our long-standing skills in not getting out of our own way and in snatching defeat from the jaws of victory are being noted regionally, and for b) the comparative advantage KC has in number of direct destinations, overall flight volume, etc. is currently decreasing, any the council deciding to delay/start over the process yet again will not help matters.
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