News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Upper Cumberland Regional Airport is exploring avenues for a public forum to discuss the potential for commercial flight activity.
Airport Manager Dean Selby said that he wanted to address any rumors or concerns from the public as they move forward in the process. He said that it’s important to have an open discourse when it comes to addressing community needs.
“I am a firm believer in trying to engage the community in something like this,” Selby said. “The last thing we want is for somebody to know something or realize something that could be impactful that we’ve not thought of. So involving the people early in talking about this, I think is a way for people to keep guessing.”
Selby said that while they still aren’t sure of the full details when it comes to the prospect, this way they are being as transparent as they can.
Selby said that they’ve discussed several options for a Q & A, including a social media survey, an in-person forum, or an email for community members to send questions. He said that they will plan out the next steps to take.
“Over the next couple of weeks we’re going to look at different ways of engaging the public in these discussions,” Selby said. “And creating an avenue where we can interact back and forth and have a direct route rather than letting everyone not know and it just being a guess. And like I said they can ask questions, and we may not know the answer, but at least we’re talking about it.”
Selby said that the feedback on the potential for commercial flight has been overwhelmingly positive. He said that he believes that this would have a good impact on the region should it come to fruition.
