Fence details addressed at I.V. Airport meeting
From our weekly issue dated July 21, 2010
A slew of issues involving Illinois Valley Airport were addressed during a nearly two-hour meeting Tuesday afternoon, July 13 at the site“s restaurant building.
More than 20 people attended the gathering, organized by Josephine County Public Works Director Rob Brandes. He is serving as interim airport manager while Alex Grossi is on medical leave.
Brandes said that the purpose of the meeting was to “facilitate communication“ between airport users and tenants, members of the public and the county commissioners.
The contract for the fence project at the airport, the former Siskiyou Smokejumper Base, included internal and external elements, Brandes said. He said that while the external fence is “generally amenable to everyone,“ concerns persist regarding the interior fence concept.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) deadlines for the project are looming, Brandes cautioned.
FAA awards grants for the vast majority of airport projects throughout the county, and losing a grant could cost the county further FAA funding opportunities.
Also present was Rainse Anderson, director of aviation for WHPacific Inc. That firm, which has locations throughout the Western United States, was retained by the county 18 months ago to be on-call engineers for both the county“s airports. It also has worked on master plan projects for those facilities.
Anderson said that FAA is ready to issue a grant for the fencing. The Eugene-based firm 2G Construction will be recommended to receive the bid, Anderson said, adding that the grant offer from FAA soon will be made to the county.
FAA is aware that discussions are occurring regarding possible changes to the fence design, Anderson said. He said that funding for the internal portion of the fence project could be removed without penalty to the county if there is no agreement on that particular issue.
Anderson said that the county plans to pursue the grant with the inclusion of funds for the interior fence. The federal fiscal year ends on Sept. 30, he said, so the county should accept the FAA grant offer by Sept. 1.
Cave Junction resident Roger Brandt, a member of the Siskiyou Smokejumper Base Museum Project, described the entire scenario as a “fiasco.“ Brandt said that there has been “no planning in this at all,“ or public input.
“Clearly, a lot of people are not happy with the way the fence is going to be set up,“ Brandt said.
He said that by establishing a smokejumper museum at the airport, an “authentic experience“ could be created for tourists and travelers along Redwood Hwy. The addition of an interior fence would clash with that vision, Brandt said.
Brandes said that the challenge of the project is to maintain a “compromise“ between modernizing the airport and preserving its historic value. He said that the county is not committed to the positioning of the interior fence and the final determination will be made by the commissioners.
Former smokejumper Wes Brown stated that the airport used to have a perimeter and interior fence, so there is historical precedence for such amenities at the site.
Anderson emphasized that the main purpose of a perimeter fence would be to heighten security at the site.
After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C., Anderson said, FAA and the Transportation Safety Administration began taking a closer look at the levels of security at general aviation airports such as the Illinois Valley facility.
The fence also is intended to keep out wildlife, Anderson added, adding that there also have been reports of vandalism at the airport. He noted that the internal fence is “mostly for safety,“ and will prevent children and pets from running out onto an active airfield.
FAA also wants to eliminate the possibility of collisions between automobiles and airplanes, Anderson said, observing that there are two places at the airport where that could occur.
Anderson pledged to obtain an estimate for a split rail design for the interior fence, as audience members expressed a preference for that concept.
“We“ll come up with a plan,“ he said.
We want to hear from you!
Add your thoughts with the link below.
Comments returning soon!
Advertisement:
