by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
“There are currently ups and downs in the aviation industry — mostly downs — but JAA is doing everything possible to position Jacksonville in the best possible way,” said Jacksonville Aviation Authority Executive Director and CEO John Clark at Monday’s meeting of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville.
Clark also said he believes in the long-term view, “Aviation will continue to grow and we’ll keep up. Even during this time of transition for the airline industry, people will continue to fly.”
The new Concourse A at Jacksonville International Airport will be fully operational by November and a portion of the Concourse C renovation will open in October, said Clark. Those two phases represent $170 million of a $380 million master airport improvement plan and, “To date we are well within the budget and the time frame.”
On the future of Cecil Field, Clark said fully developing the property will take 50 years and will require a partnership between JAA, the City, JEA and the community surrounding the airport.
“The master plan will center around aviation plus distribution and mixed-use development with very little residential,” said Clark. “Our most significant challenge is the cost of infrastructure. It will take as much as $130 million to get the project going, but the investment will be worth it.
“In the long term, Cecil Field provides the greatest promise of opportunity, even greater than JIA.”
Clark said Jacksonville has an advantage over other markets when it comes to weathering the changes in passenger aviation. Business travel won’t be as affected by high fuel prices as much as tourist travel.
“No matter how the economy swings, business travel will remain strong,” he said.
Clark also revealed a new security procedure that has been put into effect at JIA. He called it “behavior recognition” and said, “It’s not profiling. It’s not based on color, race or creed. It’s all about watching how people behave.”
It’s a system similar to one Clark observed when he was at the Tel Aviv airport in Israel.
“From the point we entered the airport, there were ‘scouts’ who looked just like any other traveler. They observe people’s behavior and even walk up to people and ask what time it is. Based on the person’s reaction, that person may be intercepted by another scout right up until they board the aircraft. We’re introducing that system to Jacksonville,” he said.
Also at Monday’s Rotary meeting, Circuit Court Judge Gary Flower learned he is the club’s newest Paul Harris Fellow.
“This was a complete surprise. My suite-mate (at City Hall, County Court Judge Emmet Ferguson) is a Paul Harris Fellow and he has always kidded me that I wasn’t. Now the playing field has been leveled and he can’t do that any more,” said Flower with a grin.