Producer’s Note: This story originally aired on KTNA on August 11th, 2016. Due to an oversight, it was not posted to the website at the time of airing. We apologize for the delay.
This week, officials from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, Governor Walker’s chief of staff, and a Valley legislator attended a meeting in Talkeetna to hear residents’ concerns over the Talkeetna Airport Improvement Project. KTNA’s Phillip Manning was there and has this story.
This summer, clearing work began on a project at Talkeetna’s airport. Marc Luiken, Commissioner of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, says the purpose of the project is to make the airport safer.
“This is about safety of the traveling public, safety of the people on our airfield, and certainly safety of the residents of Talkeetna who live and operate around the airport.”
The project involves a number of changes, including building additional parking for airplanes on both a temporary and permanent basis. In addition, a walking path along Second Street will be built to accommodate foot and bike traffic that currently either use the road or the apron. In the latter case, local pilots say pedestrians can walk into the path of a taxiing aircraft. In addition, large areas of trees were cut in order to provide clearance for pilots approaching on instruments. Pilot and Talkeetna Air Taxi Director of Operations Paul Roderick says it’s important for pilots flying in poor visibility to have clear airspace on the way in to the airport.
“Talkeetna has an airport instrument approach, and the instrument approach has certain guidelines. There’s a 250-foot buffer that needs to be clear from the centerline of the runway, and a seven-to-one ratio after that. It’s important for planes that are coming in out of the clouds, if they’re just slightly off, to have room to maneuver…”
Many locals are not happy with the way the project has progressed, however. Holly Sheldon, daughter of pioneering bush pilot Don Sheldon, says that the studies leading up to the airport project, some of which are over a decade old, are insufficient given modern realities. She believes a new Environmental Impact Study should be conducted.
“The errors are significant, and all the cutting needs to be halted until a current EIS is completed and adopted. Content, intensity, and significant factors meet the requirements for an injunction. Only outdated and insufficient data is used regarding our noise abatement issues.”
Holly Sheldon is particularly concerned about trees near the lot currently leased by Sheldon Air Service as well as those in the planned path of the pedestrian walkway. Sheldon is not alone in those concerns. Many who live or work near the airport say that they believe the walking path is necessary, but that some allowance should be made to leave some tree cover. One of those is Josh Klauder, who watches pedestrian traffic from his office every day.
“Trees can’t be un-cut, so those of you over here who maybe have some authority in this issue, it would be nice to get some kind of commitment that the trees, for example the ones behind Sheldon [Air Service] and the ones along Second [Street], don’t get cut until this conversation has had a chance to play out, because once they’re cut, they can’t be put back.”
Tom Schmidt, an engineer with DoT who worked on the project plans, says there’s only about a twenty foot wide area in which the path can go, which limits options for going around trees.
“That doesn’t give you much room to put a pathway in–an eight foot pathway with one foot shoulders and teen feet up top. You just don’t have much room to get around trees and such.”
Residents living along Beaver Road express concern over the exclusive use of a borough-owned gravel pit in their neighborhood. The project will require an estimated 100,000 cubic yards of gravel. Katie Writer, who lives near the gravel pit and contributes news stories to KTNA, says she’s worried that pulling that much gravel may not leave enough for the pit’s normal purpose, repairing Beaver Road.
“I would just like to see that you reconsider that the entire amount not be taken from this pit. This is a borough pit, and it’s used for multiple uses. If and when the Talkeetna River floods…we’d like to have these resources not just used for this larger project.”
Writer and others are also concerned by the Beaver Road gravel pit’s proximity to Talkeetna’s Ridge Trail. Laura Wright, who sits on the Talkeetna Community Council board of directors, believes the choice of gravel source was made hastily.
“One of the biggest problems, I feel, is that the project was awarded before the gravel pits were decided upon. So it went to the lowest bid, perhaps, and now they’re scrambing to find a gravel pit. That’s what’s gotten a lot of people in town upset. Where is the gravel pit going to be?”
While it’s unclear what if any changes will ultimately be made to the airport project, DOT Commissioner Marc Luiken says he understands that seeing large sections of trees disappear within a matter of days can be shocking, and that his department will consider what options are available before proceeding.
“We’re willing to take a look at it, and I hope that’s what people heard me say tonight. We’re going to look at the concern about some of the trees, and we are going to take a look at the concern about the pathway. And so, we heard; we’re going to try to respond.”
For now, equipment is still active in the Beaver Road gravel pit, and the trees along Second Street remain standing.
