Council Discusses Airport

By Wes Kappelman, The Oskaloosa Herald, Iowa

Jun. 11–OSKALOOSA — Heavy wind hit City Hall as officials argued for hours about the Oskaloosa Municipal Airport on Monday evening.

Mayor David Dixon called the special meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. with a roll call vote to start the meeting that went 4-to-3, with Council Members Jimmy Carter, Wes Wills and Janet VanDerBeek voting against. When asked by Dixon about the negative votes, Carter said he was frustrated that the City Council continues to try and make the Airport Commission look bad. VanDerBeek said if the council wanted to know what the Airport Commission is doing, members can attend the commission’s meetings.

Seven minutes into the meeting the storm sirens went off and Dixon called for a recess. The council voted 6-to-1 to recess, with Council Member Aaron Ver Steeg voting against, and took a 10-minute break before resuming the meeting.

After the meeting resumed, City Manager Brian James said the reason for the meeting resulted from the goal-setting session on March 31.

Airport Commission Chairman Steve Brown spoke about work completed during the last eight years at the airport, including: resurfacing the main runway, installing lighting on the runway and taxiway, installing a weather observation system and completing the taxiway. He said during the last eight years, the Federal Aviation Administration has spent $2.8 million on airport improvements.

He said there are 31 planes based at the airport, compared to 24 last year. He also said funds will be tight from July to December, when the next farm payment is due.

“Our number one goal right now is to rebuild our cash reserve,” Brown said.

Some future improvements Brown mentioned were installing a storm shelter and upgrading the fuel system, either with new filters or completely replacing the system. He mentioned that the older T-Hangars were also going to need work soon.

On fuel sales, he said bad weather and the high cost of fuel have contributed to sales being down.

Dixon asked if the FAA would approve extending the runway from 4,000 feet. Brown said for the airport to become a class C, the runway would have to be lengthened to at least 5,000 feet and also be widened. For FAA approval, the airport would have to show a need, Brown said. With a Class C airport being built in Pella and one in Ottumwa, Brown didn’t think it was likely Oskaloosa would be upgraded from a Class B.

“I don’t think that is in the cards,” Brown said.

Dixon asked about business usage of the airport. Brown said the three twin-engine planes at the airport were probably used for business purposes. Commission member Kraig Van Hulzen said the commission is expecting crop dusters to use the airport during the summer. Dixon then asked how many of the 28 owners are Oskaloosa citizens. Brown said he thought 10 owners had Oskaloosa addresses. Airport Commission member James Johnson said the commission can answer that question and others, but did not have the information readily available.

Brown said that $2.8 million spent there in grants shows the FAA is committed to the Oskaloosa airport.

“That airport really doesn’t belong to Oskaloosa, it belongs to the FAA,” Brown said. “They have seen a need to spend that kind of money out there and they are not going to close that airport.”

Council Member Tom Jimenez said Musco Lighting has issues that need to be addressed at the airport. One need Musco has mentioned in the past is for a longer runway for the eventual purchase of a bigger jet. Musco left the Oskaloosa Airport last year.

“We didn’t have any control over that,” Brown said. “If they want to come back, fine.”

Brown said if Musco had a bigger jet, the commission could go to the FAA with plans for a runway extension. Jimenez thought the commission should be more aggressive in courting Musco.

“We need to be sure that the employers of Oskaloosa are satisfied with the airport that we have,” Jimenez said.

There were no Musco representatives that spoke at the meeting. In a full-page ad published in the Herald before the Nov. 6 city elections, Joe Crookham announced he had bought land in Pella and could possibly move his corporate office there if Pella chose the site by Otley for a new airport.

Ver Steeg said he thought the federal government was going to start closing down airports in the next few years.

Airport Commission member Dennis Palmer questioned Ver Steeg’s assertion.

“I think it is wasted effort to try to speculate what the FAA will try to do or not do,” Palmer said. He then said he has never seen a list of services that were not offered at the Oskaloosa airport.

Council Member Lori Smith invited Chamber Executive Director Jon Sullivan to speak. He said the airport commission needs to sit with the business community and ask what it can do to accommodate big business. Sullivan then said there needs to be a more regional focus and a Class C Airport between Oskaloosa and Pella.

Brown asked Sullivan if there was still a possibility of a regional airport, to which Sullivan replied, “I hope so.”

Pella voted on March 4 to unanimously approve a site by Otley for a new airport, which seemed to close the door on a regional airport.

“Is there a door open, Jon seems to think there is, I don’t know,” Council Member Pamela Blomgren said.

The argument rotated through a brief discussion of a regional airport to a focus by Palmer on recent business closings.

Near the end of the meeting, James asked how the city could help the Airport Commission meet future goals and said he will try and put some ideas together.

The role of the airport commission can be found in Iowa Code Section 330.21, “The commission has all of the powers in relation to airports granted to cities and counties under state law, except powers to sell the airport.”

Herald Staff Writer Wes Kappelman can be reached by e-mail at news2@oskyherald.com

—–

To see more of The Oskaloosa Herald or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.oskaloosaherald.com.

Copyright (c) 2008, The Oskaloosa Herald, Iowa

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.