[bmaxwel]

Providing published factual information is not deceiving

I am the one that started this controversy over the new airport and would like to respond to the accusations on this forum.

Firstly I apologize for forwarding Scott’s article. As his name was blurred on the side of the copy, it appeared to be just another article from the Tico Times or La Nacion, the same as the articles beside it. News articles can generally be referenced to validate information, so long as the source of the article is clearly indicated, which in this case it was not, and I will no longer distribute this article without Scott’s consent.

But secondly I take great exception to the accusations of providing deceptive information about the new international airport. The best anyone can do is to provide the information that they have and let people make their own decisions on the risk and rewards of any investment. This forum is very good in that there are a number of opinions on whether the new airport will happen or not and on how long it may take.

However if you read the articles published in La Nacion and the Tico Times, they provide definitive information and target dates for completion of the first phase of a new airport in Palmar Sur by 2010, to be expanded to an international airport after that. And with strong support from the government towards meeting those targets, who is to say that a new international airport for the south in the next few years isn’t not only a real possibility, but very likely to happen.

Some additional articles from the Tico Times that discuss the new international airport for the south include:

Southern Zone Airport Advances – Tico Times – March 31, 2006
Ministers Promote Southern Development – Tico Times – May 25, 2007
Permit to Allow for Southern Zone Airport – Tico Times – July 20, 2007
Concerns Grow as Osa Airport Plans Proceed – Tico times – August 3, 2007

Some people suggest that an airport could never happen because of the large cost and lack of current budgeting for the project. However it you look at the history of the Liberia airport it was built in stages and 2nd expansion in 1989 which lengthened the runway, added a new terminal and control tower costed approx. $1.1 million dollars reference “New Terminal Salted for 2009 at Liberia Airport” – Tico Times – March 30, 2007

Last week I was in Palmar Sur, one of the reasons for my visit was to see with my own eyes whether there is any progress on this supposed new international airport. In talking with two locals in broken Spanish neither seemed to know anything about a new airport. Another local who spoke English said that yes he knew of the new airport but did not know the site location, which is what I was trying to find.

Just south of the river in Palmar Sur there was a large sign promoting a piece of commercial property for sale. The sign said “ Palmar Sur Site for the New International Airport, Commercial Residential Real Estate, New Airport 6 km, New Hospital 12 km”. And sure enough 6 kms north of this sign there is a large flat site that could be the location of a new airport, but there was no government sign or anything to confirm it was in fact the site. And another 6 kms north of that there is definitely a new hospital that looks to be almost complete. So at this point a commercial real estate sign is the only physical evidence I found of a new international airport in the area. But all signs seems to support the fact that a new international airport will be coming to the area. And all we can do is provide the information that we have.

And again one more article in the Tico Times just last week, Feb 15, 2008 titled “Golfito Retains Flavor of Good Old Days” includes the following statement about the new airport: “The government also recently announced its commitment to a new international airport, the country’s third, in Palmar Sur, to the northwest. It would put the Southern Zone, the remotest region in the country, within a few-hour flight of most major cities in North America.” The article also comments that people who bought the old banana worker homes two years ago for $40,000 could sell them today for $300,000.

So I’m very much at a loss to see how any false information has been provided here.

Bernadett Maxwell

Edited on Feb 22, 2008 14:09

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