Nemeth Column

Today's column featured sarcastic predictions for 2008, click here. How can any column of this nature, not have some comment about the airport? Myself I am not sold on an actual canal reconstruction, but you got to give the people credit, who have been putting this together. They have created interest in the area and the economic development that has followed. Maybe success has been achieved merely by discussing a potential canal? In addition, the City of Worcester is not losing $2,000,000 per year here, like we are at the airport. They should be praised not mocked.

Here are some comments that would have been appropriate for today's column:

1. The tax-payers of Worcester will find out what IMG has been doing with the over $100,000 from the DOT Small Community Air Service Grant to recruit and retain an airline.
2. All the buildings at ORH will have heat, running water, no falling insulation and leaking roofs will be repaired.
3. The approximate $200,000 remaining in the DOT Small Community Air Service Grant will actually be spent on attracting airlines, not consultants, during the one year extension that DOT granted ORH to spend these monies.
4. The 20 Master Plan, that has been worked on for 4 years, will be released but the results will be out of date and a new 20 Year Master Plan will be started.
5. The airport will be put out to an RFP to privatize the ENTIRE airport, National Express, the company that ran Stewart under a 99 year lease but was recent bought out by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, wins the bid paying annual lease payments to the City of Worcester, as well as property taxes, and makes ORH a success overnight.
6. National Express calls Allegiant Airlines offering the remaining $200,000 of DOT Small Community Air Service Grant and Allegiant decides to come back to ORH.
7. A new website is created for the airport.
8. The restaurant slot is put out to an RFP and is won by Dunkin Donuts, who not only opens inside but has a curbside drive-up window with the motto "Don't Fly By".
9. Naming right to ORH are also bought by Dunkin Donuts calling ORH the "DUNK".
10. FREE parking at ORH
11. Airport Director starts a weekly radio show where he gives updates on the happenings at the "DUNK".