That BIG issue, and one that I would love to see pass, is NOT a school bond issue. Rather, it's one to fund the expansion of McKinney's airport — and its development of commercial passenger service.
Indeed, I devoted part of a newspaper column to that. I noted how it would address the growth of the Metromess up the North Central Texas/75 corridor, and to a lesser degree, up the I-35 north corridor. (A decade plus ago, residents of Lancaster did low level preliminary tire kicking on expanding its airport to light commercial service, and an airport in Ellis County got occasional mention, but I don't see the former happening at all and the latter for 20 years, if at all.)
Anyway, even if just at three-quarters the gateage of Love Field, a new commercial airport would be big. Presumably, given Southwest's near monopoly at Love, and American's at D/FW, the FAA would have Delta and United Continental first in line for gate slots. With that, almost all United flights would go either to its big hub at Houston Bush, and anywhere else from there, or secondarily to its Denver hub, with anywhere in the Western states from there. (A few nonstops would go to Chicago.) Delta, of course, would send all sorts of flights to its massive hub in Atlanta (cue old joke) and probably a few to its secondary hub in Salt Lake City. Starter (in the past decade) airlines might get a gate or two. And McKinney Mayor George Fuller says he can't name names, but, the interest is there. His assistant city manager says the same.
Anyway, the possible expansion is not popular everywhere. Neighboring small-town mayors are afraid of noise pollution. McKinney's mayor says the concern is overblown. And, besides, their town's voters don't have a vote. Add in that, 40 flights a day, 15 years from now, is not that much noise being generated. THAT said, contra McKinney's Mayor Fuller, IMO, you need that airport running MANY more flights than that if you want real economic development. (Current projections are here.) At that size, it's still not much more than a vanity project. (And, he may know that and isn't talking all the facts.)
Personally, I still fly Southwest out of Love, but last year's Christmas fiasco has made me ever more leery of it.
UPDATE: Unfortunately, from my perspective, the bond failed.
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