The organization began the airport location search with 19 sites, winnowing the list down to three by 2022, according to Warren Hendrickson, chairman of the CACC. The CACC, which was formed in 2019, consists of governor-appointed members. The project, however, sparked opposition, which has been getting larger and louder ever since. In October, the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission (CACC) announced they were studying three locations-known as greenfields-for the construction of a new airport to handle passengers and cargo.
In a report released in September, the best response they got: a 56-percent "no" in Pierce County.A proposal to build a 3,000-acre airport to accommodate airline and cargo traffic south of Seattle continues to run into across-the-board opposition. The numbers shifted when you introduced the actual sites. The rest of people were split between expansion with mitigation of impact, to ignoring demand and staying the current path. CACC said that an online open house showed that 44% of people favored building aviation capacity despite the cost and environmental impacts. More than 12-thousand people made comments. Those fighting the airports now say getting their voices heard now is important to ensure that things don’t move too quickly.Īccording to CACC, overall people seemed to understand that a new airport was needed when they hosted a public comment period. The state legislature would have to make a move, and there are hurdles that would pop up along the way. While the CACC will ultimately make a recommendation, it’s unclear whether that recommendation will come to fruition. We’re doing research, writing letters and we absolutely believe there is still time to change course." "A mega-airport here would do major damage to the area, the habitat and to human life." "This area is a particularly sensitive environmental area," said Sonntag. You can learn more information about the event, here.ĭawn Sonntag, the organizer behind the group, told FOX 13 she’s expecting a large turnout. On Monday night the group behind will host a community meeting at Grace Community Covenant Church beginning at 6:30 p.m. They are worried they could lose their homes, farms & wildlife if two proposed sites in rural Pierce County are chosen as a location for a new airport. Hundreds of residents packed a tense meeting in Graham Monday night. Pierce County residents, fearful of losing homes, farms & wildlife, vow to fight airport proposal In Thurston County, the reaction to talk of an airport just outside of Olympia isn’t getting a warm welcome either. "I’m not sure which is worse," said Faust. He joked that if the airport became a reality it’s more likely his property would become a parking lot – but he’s concerned about what an airport would mean for the area’s way of life, people would be forced out while others would suddenly be living underneath regular air traffic. This is my retirement – it’s everything."įaust runs a farm and AirBNB on his property. He told FOX 13 News that he’s not panicking, but he’s taking stock of the situation and making sure that locals voices are heard. "It’s a time not to be silent, and to make sure you’re heard," said Jeremy Faust, the owner of Left Foot Farm in Eatonville.įaust lives inside the projected location for the Pierce County Central site, with the east site just a few minutes around the corner. Objections ranged from a lack of transportation, the disruption of long-term plans for the county and environmental impacts. A letter, dated October 11th, was sent to both WSDOT and the CACC chair voicing their objections with the inclusion of two Pierce County sites in their planning. The council has already voiced their concerns about the idea of a new airport in the area. during a regularly scheduled planning session. The Pierce County Council is expected to hear more about plans from the CACC on Monday at 11 a.m. The third location is in Thurston County south of Lacey – taking up a small part of JBLM. Two locations are in Pierce County: Pierce County East, which is south of Graham, and Pierce County Central, an area just south of JBLM. CACC looked at 12 sites as potential places for a new airport, they narrowed it down to the three sites highlighed.
0 kommentar(er)
