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Republic holds meeting on major changes at airport: Bellone calls on state to enact a moratorium
"They have said they abandoned their efforts to put together a master plan because the process was too difficult and raised too much controversy within the community, " said Bellone. "Well, I am here today to reiterate that this is part of the process, and part of a democracy, and to tell Republic that abandoning this work because it is too hard is just bad public policy." Bellone was surrounded by members of the Babylon, Huntington and Oyster Bay community who supported his position and said they were concerned about the impact of the airport on their communities and their lives. "I don't want to wake up five years from now and find out that we didn't work to protect the communities, complete due diligence and end up with an airport that has overtaken our lives and our neighborhoods," said Helen Norgen, president of the Woodland Civic Association, and a vigilant civic monitor of the airport. "We have to make sure that we have discovered all of the possible impacts of what is going on here." The proposal surfaced as part of Republic's plan to move taxiway 119 to address safety issues. Under federal regulations, existing buildings located within close proximity of the new runway must be torn down. They include hangers used now by SheltAir. Specifically, SheltAir is looking to remove hangars #2 and #3 along New Highway, about 1,110 feet south of Conklin Street; relocating runway 119 approximately 450 feet north. New lighting, guidance systems and pavement markings are planned for that area. Along Route 109, the proposal calls for construction of a 30,000 square foot building for SheltAir, a maintenance facility of 3,000 square feet and seven additional buildings, each consisting of 30,000 square feet of hangar space. Approximately 6,000 square feet of office space and 14 tie downs are proposed. The existing museum building is also to be torn down and relocated somewhere on the site. The airport's fuel farm, along New Highway is to be relocated to the south side of what is called the Breslau area. The environmental quality review of the proposal is being paid for by SheltAir at a cost of $500,000, and includes not only the construction his company is proposing but also other projects, completed or contemplated. "This is the most comprehensive review of Republic Airport done to date," said William McShane, a vice president with SheltAir. Michael Geiger, Republic Airport Director, said that while Republic has abandoned its master plan, it is moving forward with an alternative: a Vision Plan. That, he said, will provide the airport and the public with an understanding of Republic's role, now and into the future. The state is in negotiations with a company that will facilitate this project. "Our hope is to reach an agreement on many of the issues, and settle some of the concerns that have been raised in the community," said Geiger. What the community has raised as a major concerns are noise, and the number and size of planes moving in and out of Republic. By its own estimates, jet traffic is growing at Republic at the rate of 6 to 8 percent a year. Light plane traffic has decreased dramatically over the past several years, though Geiger said there has been some increase in the numbers since January. The project looks at the entire scope of the work, but would likely be phased in over a number of years. It will review every "developable piece of land" at Republic, said Geiger, though the airport does not plan any other work beyond what is currently being proposed. "We want to have a clear picture of everything as we move forward," he said. "That does not mean, however, that we will be building on every piece of land." Bellone said the confidence level the airport has raised within the community is something the airport also has to consider building up, and they have to do it before they put a shovel in the ground or work with mortar and brick. "This airport has moved forward without regard of the community and has not been a good neighbor," said Bellone. "If it is sincere in its efforts to work with us, then it should agree to the moratorium, finish the master plan and then move forward." N.C. Leg Dave Mejias supported Bellone's position. Dave Mejias, an outspoken critic of Republic for several years. "Our communities are experiencing tremendous noise from Republic and we cannot allow those problems to increase," he said. "I support Steve Bellone who has taken a strong leadership on this position, and would ask our state officials and the DOT to approve the moratorium." Other civic leaders at the press conference included Joan Donnison of Amityville who said she, too was concerned with noise levels, as well as how the new construction would impact on local downtown areas. "Currently, Republic gets tax abatements and if they build office space there, they will have an advantage that other property owners in the area don't have," she said. "We are already seeing a lot of empty stores and this could make that even worse." Not everyone was opposed to the project, however. Beth Mangels, a resident of Amity Harbor, said that she has never been disturbed by the noise from planes flying in and out of Republic. "If what they are telling us here today is accurate, then this is a good plan," she said. "It seems to address safety issues, which is important." Following the completion of the scoping session, Republic will move to complete a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). That will be presented at a public meeting and the public will have an opportunity to ask questions, provide input and raise concerns. Following that, Republic will complete a final EIS, which would outline steps that will be taken to eliminate or mitigate the environmental concerns. The public hearing is scheduled tentatively for next fall. The final EIS is expected by the winter of '09 and construction is planned for the winter of '09.
Town officials said that anyone who has questions about the project or would like to provide input go to www.townofbabylon.com.
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