Residents still concerned over airport plan

By Joyce Campbell

A hundred people turned out to view the latest version of the Methow Valley State Airport plan on Wednesday, May 20, voicing concerns about the possibilities of losing farmland and riparian habitat, new road construction, displacing the Smokejumper Base and lack of communication by the planning agency.

The state-owned airport near Winthrop is undergoing a layout planning process designed to maintain the airport’s current capability, said Eric Johnson, construction project manager for the Washington State Department of Transportation. At issue are inadequate safety clearances at one end and one side of the runway.

“How do we make this go away?” asked Ron Judd, who is with Gov. Christine Gregoire’s office in Olympia. Amid applause and cheers, Judd asked about extending the planning study’s timeline and said, “We’ve invested too much in this valley to protect what we’ve got.”

“Nobody is thrilled about impacting a conservation area,” said John Siebold, director of the state Department of Transportation Aviation Division. Siebold said the DOT would especially work with the governor’s office.

Airport planning consultants focused on the airport’s lack of adequate clearance to meet Federal Aviation Administration safety standards where the south end of the runway meets Evans Road. In the current preferred alternative, a portion of Evans Road would be closed and a new access road aligned with the outside of the agricultural and riparian areas would provide access to the landowners at the end of Evans Road and to airport users on the west side of the runway.

“Do you have authority to condemn a road? What happens if we say no?” asked county commissioner Bud Hover. He also stated concerns about the lack of communication with Craig Boesel, who owns the farmland north of the runway.

When invited to an airport planning meeting in March, Boesel saw drawings of his 120-acres of irrigated farmland and discovered planners had dissected his property with new access roads to the airport. In a comment letter to the agency he wrote, “…depending on the alternative put into place, WSDOT would acquire, or make useless for cattle ranching, the majority of my 120 acres of irrigated land.”

“I understood that you would not condemn it if we didn’t want to sell it,” said Boesel. Siebold stated that his agency needs willing property sellers.

In the new option, the runway is not lengthened, which significantly reduces the impact to the farming operation, according to David Miller, aviation engineer with Century West Engineering, the consulting company contracted for the planning project. 

It would require the Forest Service to relocate buildings at the North Cascades Smokejumper Base on the east side of the runway. Attendees were concerned that the Forest Service would not comply, but would instead close the smoke jumper base.

“We’re not going to give incentive for higher-ups to relocate the smokejumper base,” said Miller. He said the FAA, the state and the Forest Service would need quite a bit of dialogue and the smokejumper facility would not be pushed off the base this summer.

Siebold said they were not designing the plan with larger jet aircraft in mind, but for a family of aircraft similar those in use by the North Cascades Smokejumper Base, with similar wing spans and approach speeds.

“This is not necessarily growth or expansion, but safety for air and ground,” said Siebold. “Time is key. This is no emergency, but a process that will unfold over 20 years.”

The FAA funds 95 percent of airport improvements, including maintenance and land acquisition. “Without federal money it would be difficult for the state to maintain the airport,” said Siebold.

The state has previously accepted grant money from the FAA for maintenance and land acquisition, according to Johnson. In exchange, the DOT Aviation Division agrees to preserve and operate their facilities in a safe and efficient manner and comply with certain conditions and assurances.

The preliminary preferred alternative is still subject to revision. The DOT is offering a 30-day public comment period from May 20 to June 19. The agency will choose a preferred alternative by July 1.

For more information go to www.wsdot.wa.gov/aviation/AllStateAirports/WSDOTUpdatesMethowALP.htm or contact Eric Johnson at (360) 651-6303 or johnsel@wsdot.wa.gov.

“Do you have authority to condemn a road? What happens if we say no?”
– Okanogan County commissioner Bud Hover

Photo by Joyce Campbell

Neighboring landowner Jim Salter and county commissioner Bud Hover, center, join others examining drawings of the latest plan for the Methow Valley State Airport.