Friedman planners
renew bid for
new airport
Lack of space may require move
By MATT FURBER
Express Staff Writer
The Friedman Memorial Airport Authority is
re-opening the planning stages for a new airport away from the challenging
mountain valley terrain of Hailey.
The Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey
is one of the busiest airports in Idaho, second only to Boise.Express photo
by Willy Cook
The impetus for the move came with an
initial presentation to the board Tuesday, Aug. 12 by Minneapolis-based
consultant Tom Schnetzer on ways to improve the airport at its current location.
The airport, which is the second busiest airport in Idaho after Boise, is
required to make a number of upgrades to satisfy Federal Aviation Administration
safety standards.
"We can’t limit aircraft," said Baird,
referring to planes like the Dash 8 400Q, a larger regional jet that Horizon
Airlines lands in Hailey. The airport is required to provide a longer runway and
more lateral safety buffers once the airport has 500 annual operations of large
passenger aircraft.
But, none of the reconfiguration plans for
the present airport met with the airport authority member’s approval.
"I don’t see an alternative we could
actually live with," said authority member Leonard Harlig. "There is not one
that we could (take) before the community and say this is in your best
interest."
Of the alternatives presented by Schnetzer,
each involved large changes to the immediate landscape surrounding the airport,
including shifting State Highway 75, acquiring more farmland to the south and
even shifting west side hangers and the terminal.
Although the authority was only in the
concept stage of how to bring the airport into compliance with standards for C3
aircraft, concerns were raised that the public cost is too great to make big
changes in an area that is already a constrained environment.
"It’s time to bite the bullet and look at
other sites," said Authority chairwoman Mary Ann Mix.
The Authority has scheduled a meeting for
Tuesday, Aug. 26, at 7:30 p.m. at the Old Blaine County Courthouse for a public
information workshop. The group hopes to begin a discussion of a new Airport
Master Plan. The public is invited to look at Schnetzer’s recommendations and
help the Authority brush off the early 1990s study prepared by Coffman
Associates that proposed a new airport outside of the Wood River Valley.
There are a number of options for a new
airport, but the best option is to choose a site with unlimited expansion
possibilities, a place that can accommodate large jets like a Boeing 757, said
airport manager Rick Baird after the meeting. "I am proud that the (Airport
Authority) is looking at what is right for the community 25 years from now. The
next six weeks is about public comment."
Baird said there is the possibility of
seeing Friedman remain a small airport. Under the terms by which the early
Hailey family donated the land for an airport if the use changes, the land
reverts back to the Friedman trust.
"The original intent in the early 30s was
for small aircraft," said Baird. "People who lived here didn’t think it would
become so busy.
Baird predicted the next few months could
be exciting if the board decides to pursue a new location for a larger airport.
"If the board goes that way, in seven to
10 years we could be cutting a ribbon on a brand new facility," he said.