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CHATHAM – The Chatham Airport Commission is currently working on an update to its airport master plan and will hold three special public meetings to gather input from the public.
The extra meetings, which begin Wednesday, where scheduled in response to criticism of a lack of public participation in the plan update process.
The commission has been working on the master plan for the last few years. The plan was last updated in 2003.
“Public participation was open to everyone during our open meetings,” said Huntley Harrison, the vice chairman of the Chatham Airport Commission. “We advertised the meetings appropriately and everything we were supposed to do was fine.”
Harrison said public concerns arose last summer and fall when new, safer airport approaches were discussed.
“The issue was basically the possibility of easements on properties for tree clearing,” Harrison said.
The Federal Aviation Administration requires approach paths to any airport be clear of obstructions.
“A lot of the people who have bought houses on the approach paths bought them when trees were smaller,” Harrison said. “Over the years that they have had their houses or planted trees on their own, the trees have grown up.”
Harrison said there will not be any major changes at the airport and planes will not be landing any lower.
“We are hoping that the approaches are safer, but because there are now some obstructions at the lower end of the approach path some of the trees are now going into that area,” he said.
Plans being discussed would include trees being topped or removed.
The commission will hold its regular scheduled commission meetings twice per month over the next few months to provide more opportunities for public comments or questions. Those meetings are Tuesday, February 25, March 10, March 24 and April 7.
The commission is added three special public meetings to allow for conversation on issues related to the master plan update.
“People will be able to come in, ask questions and get answers,” Harrison said.
The special meetings are Wednesday, February 26, March 5 and March 11 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Town Annex on George Ryder Road.
Harrison said there are certain questions about the easements that the commission can’t answer yet.
“We have to put the master plan in first,” he said. “We get an environmental assessment that will tell us what we need to do in regard to clearing.”
The commission opted to hold extra meetings to allow for public input.
Residents were discussing the possibility of creating a citizen’s advisory committee, which is one of the options suggested by the FAA, but mainly for larger airports.
“I hope the public takes advantage of these smaller meetings and we can engage them in conversation and set the record straight with regard to what the master plan does and what the possible outcomes might be for them,” Harrison said.
He said safety is the primary concern for the flying public and local neighbors.
“That is something that we are not going to give in on,” Harrison said. “Safety is really a prime importance for us – for everybody.”
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