Posted: 5/10/05
Airport plan vote likely this week
By David Heiller
Argus News Editor
County commissioners are expected to vote on an Airport Layout Plan (ALP) at their Tuesday meeting this week.
They talked about it on May 3, but delayed a vote because commissioner Kevin Kelleher was absent.
Board chairperson Ann Thompson said the airport committee favors Alternative 1, which has a price tag of $3.9 million over 20 years. The countyís cost would be $242,750, with the rest coming from federal aviation-generated funds.
This plan would solve the obstruction problems at the airport, Thompson said. Commissioner Dave Corcoran agreed, because the plan moves the runway away from nearby buildings and trees.
The decision to put in an airport was made in the past, Corcoran said. ìWe do have it. It is ours,î he said. ìUnless we come up with one hell of a pile of money, we canít even give it away.î
Corcoran asked county engineer Allen Henke how much it would cost for the county to put an overlay of blacktop on the runway. Henke answered that it would cost a minimum of $400,000.
Once an ALP is approved, the plans would be sent to the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration for approval. This could take up to a year and a half to complete, Henke said on May 2.
Approving an ALP is the first step in making what many people feel are much-needed upgrades at the airport. The runway is in poor condition, and there are numerous obstacles that need to be removed. The project can only be done with an approved ALP if the county wishes to get federal aviation money.
Not many people showed up an an open house on the subject at the airport on May 2, but most people seemed supportive of it.
Ervin ìPinkieî Barth, who lives adjacent to it, was an exception. ìItís here now, weíre stuck with it,î he said. Barth admitted that the idea of relocating the airport is probably not feasible given the condition of the local economy.
Barth likes Alternative 1 because he and his wife, Esther, are not losing a windmill or any buildings as would be the case with the less-expensive Alternative 2.
ìWeíre still losing a lot of land,î he said. The county purchased the Barthsí land for $500 an acre in 1968. Barth called it the best farmland in the county. ìI think in the future food is going to be more important than flying and landing on aîñBarth paused for a secondñìplayground.î
Barth rents out 67 acres of farm land near the airport, and he figures he will lose about half of that once the new airport is done.
The land is valued in the ALP at $2,200 an acre; 61.5 acres would need to be purchased in Alternative 1. Barth thinks it is worth more than that.
Gerald Pieper, who was also at the open house, said he supports the rebuilding of the airport and that it is valuable to the local economy.
Caledonia Argus
314 West Lincoln St.
P.O. Box 227
Caledonia, MN 55921-0227
507/724-3475
E-Mail: editor.argus@ecm-inc.com