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November 30, 2003 Times-Standard – McKinleyville, CA
Big Hopes, Tough Choices: Can the Airport and McKinleyville Grow Together? McKINLEYVILLE -- There's an old joke that all houses located near airports should be sold to deaf people. That may be a lame joke, but it does underscore the challenges airports always pose for surrounding communities. Such challenges are shaping up at the Arcata-Eureka Airport in McKinleyville. Once known for its motto "Where Horses Have the Right of Way," McKinleyville over the past decade has flourished as a bedroom community. Now Humboldt County officials charting the future of the airport want to expand the runway, a plan that has generated a buzz of excitement in the business community. Business leaders see improving the isolated North Coast's transportation links as key to enhancing their competitive edge. But how will the plans affect McKinleyville? Would the expansion ruin the town's quality of life? Should the needs of McKinleyville defer to the needs of the rest of the county? Can a balance be achieved? The plan The draft airport master plan, unveiled this fall, calls for an expansion of the main terminal to make room for heightened security. But the real issue in the plan is a proposed expansion of the runway. The plan, prepared by Santa Rosa consultants Mead and Hunt, forecasts the annual number of passengers flying out of the McKinleyville airport to grow from 95,000 to 210,000 by 2022. To accommodate future growth and to meet tighter Federal Aviation Administration guidelines regarding adequate length for landings, the plan calls for expanding the main runway. County officials so far like a proposal that would expand the runway's southeast end by about 1,600 feet beyond its current 6,000 feet. The roughly $10 million project, most of which would be paid for by federal and state grants, requires realigning a northern section of Central Avenue, the town's main artery, as well as Airport Avenue and Norton Avenue. Such changes would require the county to buy and raze at least 20 homes and businesses. The hard part Two of the houses belong to Deborah and Greg Sisk. The Sisks have lived in their house for more than 20 years, and raised three children there, the youngest of whom is attending Humboldt State University. The Sisks also own a second house, which they rent out, just down the street. Believe it or not, Deborah's parents live in a house across the street. The proposed expansion of the runway means all of the houses would be flattened to make way for the realigned Central Avenue. Deborah said the county's plans couldn't have come at a worse time. Just last year she closed her business in Valley West. And the Sisks just spent $10,000 replacing the roof on their house, and they plan to retire in the next five years or so. Both houses would be paid off, and they hoped to keep renting out the house down the street for extra income. Those plans obviously will have to be changed if the county goes through with the runway expansion. "We have a lot to lose," she said, choking back tears. The interview was interrupted momentarily by the low roar of an inbound plane descending onto the runway. The airport, bordered by a chain-link fence, can be seen clearly from the Sisks' front yard. Deborah Sisk said the sound of the planes has never been a nuisance, but she imagines bigger jet planes creating more noise. She remembers the early 1980s when the airport used to bring in jets, and they were louder. Contrary to what some may think, living near the airport actually isn't bad at all, Sisk said. "The ambulances and fire trucks make more noise," she said, laughing. Sisk said she and her husband like their neighborhood because it's quiet, relatively free of crime. Most of the neighbors like it, too. The people who rented the Sisks' second house down the street lived there for 10 years, a long time for just renting. "People for the most part stay here, they don't leave," she said. But Sisk said that's probably what she and her husband will do if the airport expansion goes through. "I'm not putting any more money into this county," she said. She estimated they paid about $70,000 for their home, a three-bedroom house on nearly a half-acre, in 1981. But she's not sure how much she'd get for it, although county officials say they'd pay fair market rate. While the Sisks try to figure out their future, down the street Tim Hooven is doing the same thing. Hooven is vice president of Hooven and Co. Inc., a family-owned heavy construction business just across the street from the airport. The Hoovens are busy finishing an extensive remodeling of the building. Now it looks as if in a few years, the building will have to be razed to make way for a realigned Central Avenue. Hooven said he's been aware of the county's proposed airport expansion for quite some time, but the remodel was done because one never knows if such government plans will ever be realized. "You can't run a business based on what the government may or may not do," he remarked. As an example of the uncertainty of government enterprises, Hooven cited the California Department of Transportation's plans decades ago to build a bypass in Eureka, and how Caltrans bought up a number of houses, then eventually abandoned the bypass idea. Even if the county pays fair market value for the property, Hooven said moving will be difficult because right now the company enjoys its current location. Also, it will take several years to find a new location, get permits and set up business again. Others who attended a recent public meeting at Azalea Hall in McKinleyville on the plan said they're afraid regional jets, with their increased noise, and a larger airport are just the beginning of the end to the peaceful, residential quality of life McKinleyville residents enjoy. One woman who attended the Azalea Hall meeting characterized the expansion as sacrificing McKinleyville's pleasant, suburban lifestyle to accommodate a so-called elite jet set. "We'd be giving up a lifestyle to noise pollution, air pollution so this elite crowd can fly around wherever they want to," she said, drawing loud applause. Benefits It's pretty common to hear people who've flown out of the Arcata-Eureka Airport complain about ticket prices. Often it's cheaper to fly across the country round trip than to buy a ticket to San Francisco. Market forces play a big role in these prices. After all, until recently only one airline flew into the airport, and all of the turbo-prop planes simply don't carry enough passengers to make it worth the airlines' time. Currently Skywest and Horizon Airlines provide service at the airport, providing flights to Portland, Ore., Redding, Sacramento and San Francisco. Skywest uses a 30-seat twin-engine, turboprop aircraft and a 50-seat regional jet. Horizon has a 70-seat regional turboprop airliner and a regional jet airliner. Federal Express, one of the cargo shippers, flies a single-engine turboprop. The consultants predict the industry is gradually shifting from turboprop planes to larger jets. Consultants who prepared the master plan concede that it's difficult to predict whether an expanded runway or the introduction of regional jets would have much impact on ticket prices. Still, improving the airport has been repeatedly identified by business leaders as a cornerstone in advancing goals outlined in Prosperity, the county's economic development strategy. County officials say some of the chief beneficiaries of an improved airport represent the area's emerging new economy, including light manufacturing, horticulture, education and information, and other high-tech industries. John McClure, chief executive officer of Arcata-based Fire and Light Originals, which makes dinner and giftware out of recycled glass, said he and his sales reps put in tens of thousands of flight miles each year. Most of the company's products are shipped out UPS, but McClure said he hopes that someday regional jets will provide direct service to Los Angeles, Denver and Salt Lake. While it's somewhat speculative, McClure said he hopes these hubs might trim some of the travel time off during those frequent cross-country business trips and possibly even offer cheaper rates. Steve O'Meara, CEO of Arcata-based Kokatat, which makes water sports clothing, said his company has about 650 accounts worldwide. O'Meara agreed with McClure that any way flight times and rates could be shaved would be a good thing. He said he frequently has to leave two days before a scheduled meeting just to make sure he gets there on time. "We have to get out of Humboldt County to do our business," O'Meara said. "When we can't, for whatever reason, it makes it difficult." Cargo hauled in and out of the airport climbed from 108,951 pounds in 1994 to more than 318,000 pounds in 2000, according to figures compiled in the Mead and Hunt report. The 9/11 terrorist attacks and its subsequent crippling effects on the economy cut the annual shippage nearly in half in 2001. Still, Mead and Hunt consultants predict that the "aggressive growth" seen during the 1990s will continue, so that within 20 years the airport will handle 400,000 pounds annually. Mary Keehne, president of Cypress Grove Chevre, a McKinleyville-based business that makes and sells goat cheese, said she's "guardedly optimistic" that an airport expansion will help her business. Her business ships an estimated 3,000 pounds per month out of Humboldt County, but by truck because the shipments are too heavy for the planes currently in use at the airport. Keehne said, however, that if larger planes were used in the future, it's possible that her business could benefit. "We'd be thrilled if we could ship from here because whenever you cut time and cost it's always great, especially when you're dealing with perishable products," Keehne said. Shaping the plan David Dietz, a Mead and Hunt consultant who is the project manager, said the need for a runway expansion essentially boils down to two things: The airline industry is moving increasingly toward regional jets, phasing out turboprops, and the airport has a "substandard" runway safety area. The latter refers to the flat, unpaved area beyond the runway that serves as a safety cushion should a landing aircraft miss the runway. For years, the length of the runway safety area at the Arcata-Eureka Airport has not satisfied FAA standards, a failing that is owed to the unique geographical setting of the airport. Dietz said other airports, including the Sonoma County airport and McMahon airfield in Del Norte County, have similar problems with inadequate runway safety areas. For years the inadequacy was overlooked, but now as the prospect of regional jets being used increases, the problem needs to be addressed because the jets need the extra landing safety area. Actually the runway expansion proposal favored by county officials is seen as less intrusive than some other options outlined in the Mean and Hunt report, which outlined alternative expansions that could have meant acquiring many more properties. It's possible that the county could choose not to do anything to the present runway. Just how this "do-nothing" approach would affect the quality of service at the airport over time isn't clear. Dietz said it's possible that the airport could end up losing one of the two airlines over the long haul. The plan is in the early stages. Dietz, who presented the proposal at a town meeting in McKinleyville earlier this month, estimated it will take at least two years to approve the plan. Any land acquisitions would be three to four years out. Meanwhile, as the public input process continues to move forward over the next year, county officials say they hope that McKinleyville residents play an active role in shaping the final plan. This need for a collaborative approach was emphasized by county Supervisor Jill Geist, who represents McKinleyville, at the recent public meeting held at Azalea Hall to discuss the plan. Residents, however, remain divided. Some, with an air of resignation, say it doesn't matter what they think because ultimately the county will do whatever it chooses to do regardless of the public input process. On the other hand, more than a few McKinleyville residents support the expansion plans. "It's progress," as one resident remarked at the Azalea Hall meeting. At that meeting, Public Works Director Allen Campbell said he understands residents' concerns. "But we also have to think about the needs of the county as a whole," Campbell added. On the Web: View the draft Airport Master Plan at www.co.humboldt.ca.us/aviation |