Members of the Carroll County Airport Commission had a light agenda for their Aug. 18 meeting, but they found plenty to discuss about the upcoming total solar eclipse.
Airport Manager Mark Pepple spoke of a meeting earlier in the day with local officials to plan for the April 8, 2024, event. Carroll County lies near the edge of the optimal area for viewing, and early estimates suggest that the county’s population might triple, to more than 100,000. Those numbers could overwhelm local sources of food, fuel, and other supplies. Pepple said everyone should stock up on necessities in advance.
Pepple said a 2017 eclipse in South Carolina caused “nightmares” for local communities, and this eclipse is expected to last twice as long as that one. North America will not have a similar eclipse event until 2045.
“We’ll have a lot of people fly in,” he said. Parking for planes might become an issue. The airport has nine designated tie-down spots, although other areas are available on a short-term basis. The airport has traditionally allowed pilots to camp behind their planes, but that policy might pose problems with so many planes involved.
The crush of visitors is expected to cause severe traffic issues. Carroll County has relatively few main arteries, and U.S. Hwy. 62 could quickly become a snarl. Even emergency vehicles might encounter trouble getting through gridlocked roads. Some county officials plan to convene at the SORT building at the airport to have a command center established to deal with emergencies.
Cell phone service may be adversely affected with so many people vying for connections. The airport may qualify as critical infrastructure, with higher priority phone service. Local ham radio operators may also become an important resource.
In other business:
- The project to replace the roof on a section of tee-hangars will soon go out for bids.
- The survey is complete for a proposed hangar 50 feet square, and cost estimates should be available soon. A 90/10 grant from the state would pay for most of the cost. Commission Chair Dave Teigen recapped plans for some other future grants.
- Commissioners voted to increase the base rate for a ground lease from five dollars to six per square feet. That rate only applies if the leaseholder pays the full amount for a 30-year lease.
- Teigen said he has been teaching an aviation class at Eureka Springs High School. Similar efforts are under way at Berryville and Green Forest high schools, and the three schools will have some joint functions.
- A breakfast Fly-In was planned for Aug. 19.