Friday, September 10, 2010

Spat breaks Friedman board’s harmony

Web Extra


By PAT MURPHY
Express Staff Writer

Rarely in the recent history of the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority has disagreement between members gone much beyond a long-winded back-and-forth on some point.

But a prickly spat at the authority's monthly meeting Tuesday broke that tidy history of harmony when board Vice Chair Martha Burke and first-term member Larry Schoen got into it for reasons that seemed trivial, but blossomed into words of distrust.

It began when Schoen unveiled a proposal that the five-member volunteer Blaine County Airport Advisory Committee study possible ancillary costs related to a replacement airport for Friedman, which might include such things as ground transportation to link the airport and resort areas. The plan, which would not conflict with a business plan now being prepared by a financial consultant, had been presented earlier in the day to the Blaine County Commission, of which Schoen is chair, and to the advisory committee.

But the authority was hearing about it for the first time.

So far, so good.

Later, Schoen asked the airport board to eliminate "Friedman Memorial Airport Authority" and insert "Blaine County Commission" in a sentence on Page 9 of a proposed "Airport Redevelopment and Market Analysis" that would study how to dispose of 80 acres of Friedman's 210 acres that had been donated to the city of Hailey. Without Schoen's suggested insertion, the sentence reads, "With the generation of an operative financial model, final Master Plan and support graphics, the team will present the overall findings to the City of Hailey, the FMAA, the public and all relevant stakeholders."

Thereupon, Burke, who also is a Hailey City Council member, suggested that also listing the County Commission was unnecessary. Burke, also a former airport authority chair, is an outspoken booster of the authority and Hailey, and is quick to make sure both the authority and Hailey are treated as equals in documents and seemed upset that Schoen did not consult the city of Hailey before writing the advisory committee work assignment.

Later in the meeting, Schoen said he was "perplexed" by Burke's lack of interest in inserting the County Commission's name, and then began a long exposition to the risks and responsibilities Blaine County would eventually assume as sole sponsor of a replacement airport, once Friedman is closed and Hailey is no longer a joint sponsor.

To which Burke asked why Schoen had not met with Hailey Mayor Rick Davis to discuss an outline on how airport governance would end Hailey's role and make Blaine County the sole sponsor of a new facility.

Schoen said the procedure that had been considered was not the concept that he, Schoen, believed was the best "road map" for a transition.

Temperatures were rising, prompting authority member Susan McBryant to intervene with appeals for better communications.

However, Burke quickly asked for a recess, apparently to end further tensions.

As the audience milled around the courthouse conference room, Schoen moved to speak to Burke, who had retreated to the back of the room.

She could be heard across the room saying to Schoen, "I don't want to talk about it!" as they confronted each other unsmilingly.

When the meeting resumed, a more benign agenda was resumed.




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