Southern Wood River Valley residents spoke in a united voice during the Tuesday meeting of the Friedman Memorial Airport Authority: An expanded airport is not needed, is not wanted, and will be vehemently opposed.
A standing-room-only crowd packed the Blaine County Courthouse in Hailey as Bellevue and Hailey property owners weighed in on options to help the airport retain commercial air service.
None of the options were deemed satisfactory by most participants, least of all expansion at the existing site.
Bill McMahon, Bellevue resident, said expansion was unnecessary because the county would otherwise be perfectly economically viable—a sentiment seconded by most of the attendees.
"There's no assumption that we have to meet [Federal Aviation Administration standards] to ensure the viability of the county," he said. "To suggest that it (failure to meet standards) would destroy the county is absurd."
Many of the commercial flights already coming into the valley have empty seats, argued several participants, which surely proves that the airport does not need to expand. Passengers already forsake Friedman flights for cheaper trips out of Boise or Twin Falls, they said, unconvinced that a Friedman expansion would actually bring more commercial travelers to the valley.
What's more, those travelers might not be welcome, according to some residents.
"Why are we talking about bigger hotels and more people coming here?" said Kate Woods, owner of the Mountain School in Bellevue. "It doesn't seem to be needed or wanted."
Bellevue resident Lloyd Barnes said he's been coming to the valley from Los Angeles since 1975. At the time, he said, he drove from his home in L.A. to the Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. From there, he'd catch a flight to Twin Falls and drive up to Sun Valley.
"I don't know why the hell we can't fly in and out of Twin," he said.
The meeting was called as airport and county leaders seek ways to keep long-term air service in the region. Friedman has been determined to be too small for certain types of regional aircraft, and a plan to relocate the airport to southern Blaine County was put on hold by the FAA because of concerns about funding and environmental impacts.
For some, the issue focused more on general aviation. Without a replacement airport, Friedman Memorial Airport could remain open to private pilots who are not constrained by the same FAA regulations as airlines. Private planes larger than allowable commercial aircraft can land at the airport and approach at lower altitudes, as pilots are given more discretion.
Hailey resident Keith Roark called for a replacement airport because the level of general aviation at the current airport is "burdensome."
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"Every improvement, every expansion was an expansion that was brought under the guise of commercial air service," Roark said. "The problem is the uncontrolled, toxic presence of so many private jet operators who have no regard for anyone but themselves."
The entire valley relies on the commerce brought from those jet operators, argued Sun Valley Mayor Wayne Willich. He cited the annual Allen & Co. media conference as one example, adding that in one night at CK's restaurant in Hailey, one table of 11 people who had flown in on private jets paid a $1,100 tab.
"Each time you're thinking about the flow of commerce in the whole valley, you have to keep those things in mind," he said.
For Roark, the exchange of quality of life in return for possible economic development wasn't a fair trade, he said, adding that he'd approve of an expansion of air operations under one condition.
"If this airport is in Wayne Willich's backyard, I love it," he said.
The authority board responded with mixed feelings and little consensus.
Blaine County Commissioners Tom Bowman and Angenie McCleary said they'd be willing to consider expansion outside the current airport's footprint, but only a slight expansion.
"We wanted expansion with the least amount of impact to the area," McCleary said, adding that commissioners were looking at options that would have "the least impact to the community and improve safety and reliability."
Martha Burke, authority vice-chair and Hailey City Council member, said she understands the plight of Hailey and Bellevue residents in the flight path, as she's lived under the flight path since the 1970s.
"I understand the frustration of waking in the night when a plane has just hauled over your house," she said. But she also said that commercial air service is vital to area commerce, while admitting that if she were in the place of the Hailey and Bellevue residents at the meeting, she'd oppose an expanded airport as well.
"I guess if you were sitting here and thought about the well-being of the entire community, you might need to put your personal views aside," she said.
The discussion will continue at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 25 in the gymnasium at Bellevue Elementary School.
Bellevue Mayor Chris Koch said the meeting was organized to allow south valley residents more time to comment, and the public comment period will be prefaced with what Bowman called an "Airport 101" overview of what is and isn't possible at the current site.
But Bowman warned residents not to expect any definitive decisions or a perfect decision-making process.
"We've never built an airport before," Bowman said. "We're going to make mistakes in this process, but we're going to get through this together."
Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com
Hailey resident and former county attorney Keith Roark talks about the general aviation community during the meeting, arguing that private pilots are “toxic” and self-concerned. Photo by Willy Cook
