The Naples Airport Authority has the statutory duty to operate and maintain the Naples Municipal Airport. The airport lease requires the authority to make extensions to airport facilities as the board deems necessary for safety and economic operation.

The Federal Aviation Authority regulates all aspects of air transportation in the United States; nonetheless, the authority does not allow the FAA to dictate what is best for our community. The authority established legal precedent fighting the FAA to enforce our Stage 2 jet ban; we created a nighttime curfew and enacted a 75,000-pound weight restriction. No airport has a better record on noise suppression.

The authority chooses its battles wisely and prosecutes them well. The citizen airport commissioners balance strict requirements of the FAA, in the sunshine, for the best interests of our fellow residents and airport stakeholders. In its endeavor to discharge its dual obligations as the proprietor of the airport, a part of the U.S. system of air transportation, and as a good neighbor to the community we serve, the board constantly seeks to enhance safety and sound attenuation at the airport.

In 2007, the authority funded another noise study to identify noise-reduction opportunities and demographic changes. An FAA-approved noise study is an expensive undertaking; ours is funded without taxpayer dollars. Paving the runway safety areas was in the scope of work and discussed at the first Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting in 2008. In December 2009, our noise consultants advised TAC that, based on collected data, the most significant noise-reduction plan for the Naples urban area would be an extension of the declared takeoff distance from 5,000 feet to 5,800 feet.

Peer communities like Boca Raton and West Palm Beach have implemented displaced thresholds and are enjoying a reduction in noise exposure.

Paving the safety areas would meet three Naples City Council and authority goals: reduction of sound, enhanced safety for aircraft and facilitating the restoration of regional service to a hub airport. The favorable construction market and the availability of capital required immediate action. Individually each goal was persuasive; together they were compelling.

If asked to rank the benefits from the runway extension, first would be noise abatement. The Naples Comprehensive Plan requires the authority to reduce airport noise and enforce all lawful noise control measures under FAA regulations. Paving the safety areas will allow aircraft to achieve higher altitudes prior to departing the airport, reducing noise in all neighborhoods under the flight path. Pilots will have enhanced flight control to implement other designated abatement procedures.

The most severely impacted areas will benefit the most; the sound contour data and population counts confirm this. The authority board cannot ignore facts or succumb to unwarranted fears. The commissioners’ unanimous confidence in this action is data driven. Prompt implementation will produce results next season; the benefit is citywide, long-term and multiplied by other abatement procedures.

The second benefit is to enhance aircraft safety. This week the airport was inspected by the FAA and, for the 15th consecutive year, the airport passed the FAA inspection with no exceptions. This record of excellence is maintained by being open to opportunities to improve the airport. Paving the safety areas facilitates takeoff and landing safety. The most worthless thing to a pilot is runway behind his aircraft. Conversely, most valuable to a pilot and his passengers, if he overshoots, undershoots or is forced to reject a takeoff, is paved runway in front of him. By paving the safety areas, which are now sand and grass, the authority is providing an additional margin of safety for the aircraft. When an emergency occurs, this safety measure will pay dividends in human lives.

Since Delta terminated service to Naples in 2007 because of issues related to the runway length, the authority has made public its priority to restore regional service. The importance of this effort was validated by a 2007 Florida Gulf Coast University/University of Florida survey and endorsed by businesses, citizens and City Council members. Naples developed an international brand while commercial service existed, and restoration of air service was never opposed. On the contrary, the board was denounced for operating a “playground for the wealthy.”

Regional air service requires additional pavement for takeoff. Regional jets are among the quietest manufactured. Retention of the authority’s weight restriction will prohibit aircraft larger than regional jets from landing at the Naples airport, and commercial operations are unlikely to exceed 2 percent of total operations.

On Wednesday, the Naples City Council and the community will hear a compelling case for less noise, greater safety and increased probability of restoration of quiet commercial service.

Allen is president and CEO of Industrial Equities LLP, a commercial real-estate investment, development and management firm based in Minneapolis. He has served on the airport board since 2007 and was president of Port Royal Property Owners Association 2006-08. He owns a jet that currently uses the airport and would not be affected by any policy changes.