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<br />lowest ranked category was for the <br />FBO/terminal facilities (5.2). <br /> <br />The questionnaire also asked those <br />surveyed what improvements were <br />necessary at the airport. This question <br />also asked for a priority ranking with <br />"1" as highest. Responses generally <br />indicated satisfaction with the facility, <br />although many comments indicated <br />need to improve airport pavement areas <br />including the main ramp and Runways <br />4-22 and 12-30. Many responses <br />indicated a need for an airport traffic <br />control tower (ATCT) to improve safety <br />of operations. Other responses included <br />the desire for a restaurant at the <br />airport, additional instrument <br />approaches, and better taxiways <br />(routing). <br /> <br />Airport Service Area <br /> <br />The determination of future based <br />aviation demand for San Marcos <br />Municipal Airport begins with a review <br />of the local based aircraft service area. <br />The local airport service area is defined <br />by the proximity of other airports and <br />the facilities and services that they <br />currently provide to general aviation <br />aircraft. <br /> <br />As previously mentioned, San Marcos <br />Municipal Airport is designated as a <br />reliever airport by the FAA. The <br />designation indicates that the airport <br />serves to provide general aviation <br />services near a large metropolitan area <br />so that the general aviation activity will <br />be minimized at the larger commercial <br />service airport. As a reliever airport, <br />San Marcos Municipal is designed to <br /> <br />2-11 <br /> <br />accommodate all general aviation <br />activity. <br /> <br />Defining the service area, or aviation <br />demand pool for San Marcos can be a <br />nebulas task. The recent closure of <br />Austin Mueller and shift of aviation <br />activity to Austin Bergstrom as well as <br />the closure of Austin's only general <br />aviation airport, Austin Executive, has <br />directly impacted San Marcos. In the <br />last two years, based aircraft at San <br />Marcos has increased by 103 aircraft, <br />nearly doubling. Although the brunt of <br />the closures is likely over, it is very <br />likely that San Marcos will continue to <br />attract aircraft from owners living in <br />Austin. <br /> <br />The only other reliever airport in the <br />Austin area is the Georgetown <br />Municipal Airport which is located 29 <br />miles north of Austin Bergstrom. <br />Georgetown is a very active general <br />aviation airport and is somewhat <br />limited in providing for a large amount <br />of aviation facilities. The Texas <br />Department of Transportation (TxDOT), <br />Aviation Division, has studied the <br />feasibility of constructing a new reliever <br />airport in Pflugerville which is located <br />in the northeastern portion of the <br />Austin metropolitan area. The study <br />was stopped once Pflugerville decided <br />not to proceed with the development of <br />an airport. Georgetown, and potentially <br />Pflugerville, are situated to <br />accommodate aviation demand in north <br />Austin. San Marcos is situated to <br />accommodate aircraft owners in the mid <br />to southern portions of Austin who elect <br />not to base their aircraft at Bergstrom <br />due to high activity levels by large <br />aircraft. Results from the survey <br />