An ongoing debate over when and where Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey should be relocated has caught the attention of Sun Valley city leaders.
Mayor Jon Thorson plans to ask the City Council on Thursday, March 17, to discuss and define the city's stance on the airport issue so a formal position can be presented to the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority and a committee it has convened to assist in the site selection process.
"We want to talk about the things that are good for Sun Valley and its citizens, and Sun Valley Resort, as the economic engine," Thorson said Monday.
Thorson said he is asking the City Council to discuss the issue so city officials can distill their views on the matter into a letter that outlines a unified city stance to airport managers. Sun Valley citizens and leaders likely have a variety of opinions about a developing plan to relocate Friedman to a new site south of its existing location in Hailey, the mayor noted, but should nonetheless seek to find common ground.
In a March 11 memo to City Council members, Thorson stated that he wants the council to discuss several key issues, including:
-
The economics of moving the airport from Hailey, with a focus on ensuring the move is beneficial to the economies of the northern and southern Wood River Valley.
-
The commuting time from a new airport to Ketchum and Sun Valley. The mayor noted that one of the valley's two main commercial carriers, Horizon Air, has stated that locating the airport more than 40 minutes away from the two resort cities would force a reduction in the level of service or a need to subsidize flights to guarantee regular service.
-
The real costs of building a new airport, a substantial portion of which might have to be paid for by local entities.
-
The role the city of Sun Valley should play in the decision-making process.
For his part, Thorson said he believes the city should try to ensure that any decision to move the airport does not come with a significant reduction in service or an excessive subsidy cost to guarantee frequent flights throughout the year.
However, the mayor said he believes there could be benefits to having an airport that would incur fewer weather-related flight delays, which tend to frustrate tourists trying to get to and from Sun Valley.
The March 17 City Council meeting will commence at 4 p.m. in Sun Valley City Hall.
Jon Thorson
