It’s not often that a community is willing to sacrifice a golf course for an airport development but Reno, perhaps better than most cities, appreciates the value of air travel. The airport authority announced last week that the popular Brookside Golf Course will make way for a new $25 million control tower sometime in the next year or so. More than 60,000 people played the city-operated Brookside course last year. It’s particularly popular with seniors because of its short length and $55 a month unlimited green fees. Although Reno’s current tower is adequate, the airport recorded an 11-percent increase in traffic last year. It is expected the new tower would eventually be needed to accommodate the steadily increasing traffic. Ironically, the announcement of the tower project came weeks after the FAA put Reno’s tower on a list of 48 that might be closed during the early morning hours to save costs. Civic and state politicians are calling the plan ridiculous and lobbying to have Reno taken off the list.
