"Agreement sought on clearing of airport trees"

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Agreement sought on clearing of airport trees
By TIM DONNELLY
The Hilton Head Island (SC) Island Packet


Plans to clear trees growing into flight paths at the Hilton Head Island
Airport hit a setback last week when the town and county disagreed over how
to remove the 325 trees.

The town on Monday approved the airport's request to remove the trees near
the south end of the runway, but imposed a set of conditions to keep a tight
control on the work, including: keeping an arborist on site; some of the
trees must be trimmed rather than removed; and replacement trees must be
planted by Oct. 31.

Now, the county is backing away from its original plans and hopes to work
out a compromise in which county, airport and town officials determine which
trees can be removed and which can be trimmed to clear the airspace while
maintaining Hilton Head's tree cover, county administrator Gary Kubic said.

"I'm actually indicating that I'm probably more receptive to the town's
program than not," Kubic said. "I'm just not convinced ... tree topping
benefits us the way we all want it to."

The Federal Aviation Administration requires airports to remove trees to
allow hazard-free landing and departure. County officials say the trees have
been neglected for years and now jut dangerously into the airspace. Most of
the trees are on adjacent properties such as the IHOP restaurant, Hampton
Inn and Wachovia bank.

Part of the concern, county officials said, is that the FAA will pay for
work only one time. Trimming instead of removing trees means taxpayers will
have to pick up the bill for future maintenance, airport director Paul
Andres said. Kubic said cutting the tops off the trees is unsightly, and
leaves the trees looking like bare telephone poles.

A letter town planning director Charles Cousins sent to Andres on Monday
highlights some of the disagreements that have caused the issue to drag on
over the past several months. Cousins wrote that tree data the airport
submitted were inaccurate, which led the town to ask for an on-site
arborist.

"(The) town feels that some of the protrusions into the slope approach can
be addressed by topping or pruning trees rather than completely removing
them," Cousins wrote. "You have continued to debate this with me and this
has delayed issuing approval of your application."

The airport also is working on an environmental assessment before applying
to remove as many as 2,700 more trees from the sides and north end of the
runway, Cousins said.

The town Design Review Board approved a tree replacement plan in February
requiring the airport to replace the trees slated for removal with 665 new
ones. Many of the new trees would be shorter and thicker than existing ones,
creating a better building buffer, town officials said.

As long as the airport is actively addressing the tree issue, it won't face
penalties or FAA enforcement, spokeswoman Marcia Adams said. Inspectors
regularly check airports to make sure the trees aren't too far into the
airspace, she said. 

"The FAA will not allow it to get to a point where it is a safety issue,"
she said.

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