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Michael:

You point out that:

"Therefore, any money spent should be on 2 things. 1 is to buy the homes on their lists. 2nd the glycol plant can be upgraded or what ever needs to be done with that, if any. Bottom line, buy the homes from the people on the lists as soon as the funds become available. 2nd, glycol improvements, 3rd runway expansion."

RIAC consistently drags its heals on buying houses and providing noise suppression assistance. The board recently announced that the estimate for fixing houses under the noise cone has grown from 100 units to 400 units because they miscounted condos. There is no money scheduled for this activity and little for home purchases beyond what is needed to reallign Main Avenue. RIAC has yet to complete its prior programs. Buying houses has been RIAC's lowest priority over the years and they have spot purchased properties of those who are politically connected including political party officials.

Regarding general aviation, all the these airports are owned by the State of Rhode Island not RIAC. The original reason to create RIAC included the ability to maintain these essential service airports through passenger facility charges. You may not get this point but I will throw it out anyway. When RIAC attempts to starve out the general aviation airports citizens of those affected communities will come out in droves and pilots all over the northeast will be jumping all over the FAA to put an end to the strategy.

I don't get your comment about my non-support for T.F. Green Airport. Nothing could be further from the truth. My concern is that construction interests and others are throwing RIAC under the train through their demands for more and more construction -- the money for which must be borrowed. If these interests had their way all of RIAC's revenues would be consumed by debt service. That makes no sense.

Please don't put out positions that I have never taken with statements like "For example, under your assumption we shouldn't improve Warwick's roads because of Studio 38." The truth is that the state DOT has maxed out its loan program and cannot borrow another penny. That's why all road improvements are now being done with current funding. RIAC is in exactly the same position with the exception of 3 million of passenger facility charges that are needed to maintain airports not be unwisely leveraged into long-term loans that the ratings agencies will never support.

You have to get realistic about the funding of public construction projects. The money has dried up no matter how much you huff and puff.

From: Airport project financing built on field of dreams

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