Improving the terminal at the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport should take precedence over other changes to the facility, including the contentious issue of whether the runway should be widened to accommodate planes with larger wingspans, the majority of the Pitkin Board of County Commissioners decided Thursday.
During a nearly three-hour meeting to further discuss information related to the “Final Report of the Airport Vision Committee — The Common Ground Recommendations,” the BOCC determined that reconfiguring the airfield to allow for a type of craft with wingspans greater than 95 feet — part of a Federal Aviation Administration aircraft category called Airplane Design Group III — could wait until later in the airport redesign process, even if that’s 10 years out.
The BOCC’s review continues Wednesday and will be followed by a Nov. 10 meeting, during which time members of the public will have a chance to weigh in on the recommendations before an ordinance is drafted.
A host of reasons were offered by BOCC Vice Chair Kelly McNicholas Kury for leaving the runway as it is for right now and the foreseeable future, including unknowns about the fleet mix that could potentially replace the CRJ-700 regional jets used widely in Sardy Field commercial operations. The FAA has already approved moving the runway about 80 feet to the west of its current location and is committed to paying the majority of the project funding.
But McNicholas Kury said more information from both the FAA and the commercial airlines should be acquired before the county commits to a final airport layout plan and accepts federal money for those improvements.
She is also a proponent of providing a “guard rail” against allowing airlines to operate planes at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport that are “noisier and dirtier” than currently allowed.
Commissioner Patti Clapper agreed Thursday that more information should be forthcoming on this issue.
“How can we plan a runway when we don’t know what the mix is going to be?” she asked.
Commissioner Greg Poschman advocated for a “full picture.”
“I do want a decision point that’s farther out,” he said.
Recognizing he was alone in his opinion on the issue among his colleagues, BOCC Chair Steve Child said the future of commercial aircraft will include carriers with a longer wingspan than are now accommodated and that an expansion to widen the runway and increase separation between the runway and the taxiway “makes the airport safer.” The latter has previously been cited as an FAA safety concern.
Child maintained that having the ADG III plan in place was well advised and also agreed that the biggest current need is an upgraded commercial terminal facility.
The vision committee’s recommendations ask that the runway be left in its current location, which could push the taxiway closer to the terminal. Doing so would trigger changes, such as moving the control tower, parking and de-icing pads. The possibility of having a “virtual tower” in the future was also mentioned in the meeting due to the airport’s limited acreage and the advancements in technology that would allow for such an option.
County Manager Jon Peacock said the recommendations that were left for Thursday’s discussion represented some of the most challenging airport issues that the electeds would face in this monthslong process.
According to a prior staff memo, “The purpose of the ASE Vision process was to advise the BOCC on how the Pitkin County-Aspen Airport should be modernized to accommodate the community’s air service needs and reflect changes in the air service industry, while also remaining true to the character and values of the community.”
‘Grateful for the pause’
Commissioner George Newman referred to the four aspirational goals of the airport study — which included safety on the ground and in the air, reduction of emissions, noise reduction and growth management — when asserting that the county’s addressing those goals would mean acknowledging that the status quo isn’t working.
The specter of a changing world amid the pandemic should be considered in the airport discussions, Poschman reminded. The ASE Vision Committee in a 20-1 vote approved its recommendations on March 10, just as the pandemic was unfolding locally. The white paper was the product of 15 months of work by appointed citizen committees that included more than 120 participants.
“We have this incredible document from the vision committee,” Poschman said, but noted that since the onset of COVID-19, “the ground has changed.”
“I’m grateful for the pause” in planning that the pandemic has presented, he added.
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October 30, 2020 at 04:00PM
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Terminal first, airfield changes later at Aspen-Pitkin County Airport - Aspen Daily News
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