SEPTEMBER 24, 2015
KANABEC COUNTY TIMES
25
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KIRSTEN FAURIE | TIMES
An angled strip of pavement at the Mora Municipal Airport marks where the proposed turf crosswind runway would intersect with the current paved runway. If completed, a section of trees and wetlands on the former Yankowiak property would be affected.
CROSSWIND: State asks Mora to consider big picture in airport planning FROM PAGE 1
HESITATION Planning for the project began in 1992 to relocate Mora’s former turf crosswind runway which was closed in 2007 after the expansion of the Industrial Park in 2001. Because it is safer for pilots to take off and land parallel to the wind rather than perpendicular to it, many local pilots of small planes have advocated for the runway as a way to provide pilots with a safe way to land in poor winds. In 2006, the city received a $276,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration for land purchases to complete the crosswind runway project. Grant stipulations required the city to repay those funds if they did not proceed with the project. In 2006, the city purchased the land which has since depreciated in value. In 2011, the Mora city council’s plans for the crosswind were met with heavy resistance from citizens who felt the runway was a poor use of public funds for something that would only be used by a small number of people. The city began to explore if they could cancel the project without needing to pay the FAA back the full grant amount. The FAA insisted that if the city canceled the project, grant funds would need to be repaid. In August 2013, the city council voted 4-1, with council member Brandon Akkerman opposed, to continue with the project due to finances. FAA DEMANDS COMMITMENT Since their August 2013 vote, the city completed eminent domain proceedings and gained the title to nine acres of land owned by Greg Yankowiak. This land was the final piece needed to complete the crosswind project. The seizure of land was met with heavy resistance by Yankowiak who said he feels the crosswind project is unnecessary and would disturb wildlife habitat. Recent pressure from the FAA comes after the city asked for FAA grant money to reimburse the purchase. But then the city voted July 21 to postpone the project until there was a stronger justification for the runway by an increased number of operations at the airport. In response to the city’s vote, the FAA said they would postpone the land reimbursement. Furthermore, if the city wanted to change their mind and receive the grant money, they
would have to decide quickly because of a Sept. 15 deadline. A special meeting was arranged for Sept. 8 to decide if the city truly wanted to postpone the project or if it would give the FAA a commitment to complete the crosswind. “We fund projects that you want to pursue. If you are not going to pursue the project, that’s fine. We can reimburse you for that land when you decide to pursue the project,” said Peek. In an effort to reduce environmental impacts of the runway, the FAA recommended the city of Mora redesign the crosswind runway to make it narrower, but would still suit the pilots with small planes who would use it the most. A MATTER OF SAFETY & THE BIGGER PICTURE At the Sept. 8 special meeting, guest Kathy Vesely, Assistant Director for the Minnesota Department of Aeronautics asked council members to be mindful of how the Mora airport fits into big picture of the state’s airport system. A crosswind runway density map shows that the Mora airport sits in a gap where there are no paved crosswind runways within 30 nautical miles. Vesely said it is the state’s goal to fill those gaps, and the addition of a turf crosswind runway at Mora would be a step toward that goal. “The biggest justification for a crosswind … is all about safety for the pilots who are using that airport,” Vesely said. “Building a crosswind isn’t about the number of operations. If there is one operation where lives are saved, that is a good justification.” Current plans for the runway are for it not to be lit at night and close during the winter. THE DECISION After some discussion, council members Sara Treiber and Bob Bollenbeck said they felt safety concerns outweighed Yankowiak’s environmental concerns and would support completing the project. A motion on how to proceed only came after much prodding from Mayor Jack L’Heureux when council member Al Skramstad said, “I’d like to see it off the books one way or the other.” He then moved to proceed with requesting grant reimbursement from the FAA. The vote passed 4-1, with Brandon Akkerman voting against the measure. Kirsten Faurie is the editor of the Kanabec County Times.
MAP BY THE MNDOT OFFICE OF AERONAUTICS 2011 INVENTORY SURVEY AND AIRPORT DATABASE
Above, a crosswind runway density map shows that the Mora airport sits in a gap where there are no paved crosswind runways within 30 nautical miles. Key airports are airports that are often located near larger populations and serves as primary landing facilities for business jets and also support regularly scheduled airfreight and airline service. Intermediate airports, like Mora’s, serve as landing facilities for flight training, aircraft maintenance and general aviation aircraft up to the smaller business jet size. Other airports (indicated in green on the map) are landing strips with turf runways which often support agricultural crop spraying vices.
COSTS
$1.3 MILLION TOTAL COST OF BUILDING THE CROSSWIND RUNWAY
$65,000 THE CITY OF MORA ONLY HAS TO CONTRIBUTE APPROXIMATELY $65,000 TO COMPLETE THE PROJECT. THIS MONEY HAS ALREADY BEEN SET ASIDE IN THE CITY’S CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND, THE CITY OF MORA IS ONLY RESPONSIBLE FOR PAYING 5% OF THE PROJECT TOTAL. 90% WILL BE PAID FOR BY THE FAA, THE OTHER 5% IS BEING CONTRIBUTED BY THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.
$5,000-$8,000 PROJECTED ANNUAL COST TO MAINTAIN THE CROSSWIND RUNWAY.. APPROXIMATELY 75% OF THIS COST IS REIMBURSED TO THE CITY ANNUALLY