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<br />TRANSFER <br />A VIATION SERVICES <br /> <br />Transferring aviation services to <br />another airport essentially considers <br />limiting development at San Marcos <br />Municipal Airport and relying on other <br />airports to serve aviation demand for <br />the local area. There is one commercial <br />service and three general aviation <br />airports within 30 nautical miles of San <br />Marcos Municipal Airport. <br /> <br />Austin Bergstrom International Airport <br />is located 20 miles north/northeast of <br />San Marcos. Bergstrom, a former <br />military air base, is now served by <br />several major commercial carriers and <br />most commercial cargo carriers. After <br />closure of Austin Mueller and Executive <br />airports, general aviation aircraft <br />within the city of Austin had very few <br />options left. San Marcos Municipal and <br />Georgetown Municipal Airports are the <br />only remaining relievers to Austin <br />Bergstrom International Airport. Some <br />general aviation aircraft have based at <br />Bergstrom, however, relatively high <br />lease rates have caused the majority of <br />general aviation aircraft look to other <br />Austin area airports. As detailed in the <br />aviation forecasts, San Marcos based <br />aircraft has nearly doubled since the <br />closure of Austin Mueller and Executive <br />Airports. Given the operation and <br />function of Bergstrom, it is very likely <br />that general aviation aircraft will <br />continue to base at other airports <br />including San Marcos. <br /> <br />The remaining three airports located at <br />New Braunfels, Lockhart, and Lulimg <br />would not pose any benefits for transfer. <br />New Braunfels would provide the <br />nearest matching facilities, but is <br /> <br />limited by a 5,300-foot runway. <br />Lockhart and Carter Airports currently <br />provide significantly less utility and <br />facilities. <br /> <br />Considering that comparable aviation <br />facilities are not readily available to <br />accommodate the demand from San <br />Marcos Municipal Airport, it cannot be <br />expected that these airports could fulfill <br />the role that San Marcos Municipal <br />Airport provides to the local and <br />extended regional area. With the <br />facilities in place at San Marcos <br />Municipal Airport, it would not be <br />prudent to consider shifting demand to <br />another local airport to fulfill the long <br />term aviation needs of the San Marcos <br />area. Shifting demand would further <br />hamper economic growth in the San <br />Marcos area and would serve as a <br />significant inconvenience to airport <br />users. In fact, transferring demand <br />would actually be a detriment to the <br />city of San Marcos, the aviation <br />community, and the state aviation <br />system as a whole. As new industries <br />in the community begin to emerge and <br />existing businesses expand, there will <br />be a need for a highly functional <br />airport. This role is not easily replaced <br />by another area airport. <br /> <br />CONSTRUCTION OF <br />A NEW AIRPORT SITE <br /> <br />The alternative of developing an <br />entirely new airport facility to meet the <br />aviation needs of the local area can also <br />been considered. This would essentially <br />consider abandoning the existing <br />airport site and replacing the existing <br />facilities with comparable facilities in a <br />new location. <br /> <br />4-3 <br />