A CONDUIT
Connecting to the public through the airport board
By By Paul Bowers, Publisher
October 2000
Events can occurr which may not necessarily be related but certainly have much in common. And from them we can learn.
This August I was invited to attend a commission meeting for my local
airport, Waukesha County’s (WI) Crites Field. Having seen the local
papers’ treatment of the expansion of the field over the last year
or two, as well as speaking with manager Glenn Januska on a frequent basis,
gave me a pretty good idea as to how things were being managed.
The growth of the airport had the backing
of the county and state. Many improvements including a new contract tower,
terminal, FBO buildings, corporate hangars, ramp, and much more indicated
that this is a well-run airport and that Glenn deserves much of the credit.
That said, I was amazed to witness the role
that the airport commissioners play at Waukesha. My first inclination
was to believe that many commissioners would be special interest partisans
looking to protect their own agendas, the agendas of the County Executive,
or worse yet do nothing at all. Not so.
Each of the members is extremely knowledgeable
of the airport, its role, and potential to the residents of this Milwaukee
suburb, and work hard to understand the issues and how to balance them
with the best interest of the community. Rather than wait for trouble
to brew, they have regular meetings with the public and ask them to give
feedback on any airport concerns that might exist. (This is a board that
I can get excited about.)
Last week I read with interest Jim Lauer’s
Chairman’s Column in the most recent issue of Avionics News. He discusses
the problems that he and other vendors are experiencing at Van Nuys with
the noise restrictions that neighborhood groups have successfully initiated.
Jim astutely surmises that some of the blame rests on the shoulders on
those of us in aviation. He suggests that a more proactive presence by
the aviation community in reaching out to the populace would prevent bans
like those being implemented at Van Nuys. He mentions that we shouldn’t
rely on AOPA, NBAA, NATA, or others to come to the rescue at our own airports.
We should take the initiative and head off any negative public sentiment.
The airport authority/commission/board can
be one of our best conduits to the community, but they can’t help
us if they don’t talk with us or understand what we do. You may even
want them to subscribe to AIRPORT BUSINESS — it’s free to airport
authorities. Perhaps we can help in the educational cause.
