Groundbreaking Success!

Last week, I was unable to attend the airport groundbreaking ceremony – but Jason Koertge at PCBDaily had such great coverage of the event, I felt like I was there.

After talking to people who did attend and reading the mainstream media coverage, I have to say: What an event!

More than 1,000 people showed up to help celebrate the day. Organizers originally expected about 100. It had the feeling of a new beginning, which of course, it was.

The message of the day was the balance this community has found between economic development and environmental protection. It’s something of which we should all be very proud.

Governor Crist was called to Washington on official business, and was unable to attend. But he did provide taped remarks. He said:

The new Panama City-Bay County International Airport will serve as a national model for economic transformation and environmental preservation…

It will revitalize, diversify and grow the economy. It will mean better jobs for the people of Northwest Florida and a better future for the children of Northwest Florida…

Representative Marti Coley summed up the day nicely with her remarks:

Today we are here to celebrate not one, but two beginnings.

We are breaking ground on the new Panama City – Bay County International Airport, a project that will provide this region with a dynamic economic development platform and will deliver to this region improved air service.

But today also marks the beginning of an unprecedented effort to protect forever one of Florida’s most important environmental treasures. West Bay.

But the best moment of the day, according to many who were present, came when fifth-grader Victoria Whitmire took the stage. On behalf of the children of Bay County, she presented Audubon Conservation Director Eric Draper with a long-leaf pine seedling, and said: “Mr. Audubon, will you take care of this for us?” Priceless.

Not to be upstaged, Draper followed her presentation with very eloquent remarks about the environmental opportunities that grew out of the need to relocate the airport.

You can see all this and more with the coverage provided at PCBDaily.

Now we all have to work together to make the airport the success we all know it can be.