Flying toward the future

By JUDD WILSON

Staff writer

POST FALLS — Though far from final, possible changes to North Ramsey Road, North Huetter Road, and two runways at Coeur d’Alene Airport were presented at a master plan open house here Tuesday night.

Airport director Steven Kjergaard explained that for years the airport’s two runways have started at the same spot, contrary to FAA regulations. The regulation is a safety measure to prevent accidents by pilots new to the airport, he said. The local strips are some of the only ones in the nation that still have such a configuration, said Kjergaard. The master plan update includes decoupling the runways to alleviate that problem.

In addition to decoupling the runways, the master plan update also presented two alternatives to the public for the airport’s shorter runway. Alternative B-I would chop Runway 2-20 so short that it couldn’t handle small jets, while alternative B-II would leave it with enough length to accommodate them, said Kjergaard. In windy conditions affecting smaller planes, the airport’s shorter runway is the easier one to use, he said. The technical steering committee and community advisory committee preferred the longer option, Kjergaard said.

Other changes have been worked into the master plan, said Kjergaard, such as accomodation of a bypass on North Huetter Road on its west and an extension of North Ramsey Road to its east. Airport advisory board member John Adams said the North Huetter Road bypass would forever limit the airport’s ability to expand to the west, but that it was a compromise the airport could live with. The airport would still have up to an 8,600-foot-long runway capable of handling the airport’s future needs, he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration will pay for 90 percent of the costs of the master plan’s updates with fees it collects on passenger tickets and aviation fuel, said Kjergaard. The other 10 percent will be the responsibility of the county and the state, he said. Estimates for the two alternatives presented Tuesday ranged from $21-27 million. Kjergaard said he expected the improvements to take at least five to seven years.

The airport last updated its master plan in July 2012. T-O Engineers regional manager J.R. Norvell explained that the master plan is “the document that guides the airport for the next 20 years.” It’s geared toward the safety of existing users and to improve overall aviation safety, and can be used to inform land use planning and comprehensive plan updates for local governments, Norvell said. He added, “It’s really important to get out and reach everybody so they know the airport is here to serve them, to create jobs, and to be an economic engine for our community,” he said.

Kjergaard said it was important to plan for the future of the airport “while leaving flexibility in the plan to address changes in the environment of the community.” Accordingly, much in the master plan update will be broad enough to provide that flexibility, he said.

Adams has been through several master planning processes before, and knows that conditions on the ground can change rapidly. The 2001 master plan forecasted no future development to the north of the runway. In 2004, Empire Airlines opened in that exact location. “A master plan is a great document, but everything can change in three years,” he said.

Joan Genter, a 22-year veteran of the U.S. Air Force and the airport advisory board’s new chair, said the process has involved many meetings and hours of study. Adjacent municipalities and the county have been involved, as well as public input from private citizens, she said. The capital improvement plan will flow from the master plan, explained Genter.

Even though he’s not a pilot and doesn’t own any planes, Adams said he has served on the board for 25 years because he sees the value of an airport to the community.

“If you don’t have an airport today, it’s like not having a railroad 100 years ago.” He cited a state study which placed the airport’s economic impact at $129 million seven years ago.

The master plan update process won’t wrap up until late this year according to airport documents. For more information or to see the portions already online, go to www.cdaairport.com/documents.asp. Comments should be sent to coemasterplan@kcgov.us.