Dane County supervisors have drafted a resolution opposing plans to station a squadron of F-35 jets at Truax Field.
Citing concerns about the environmental impacts — particularly on low-income and minority residents — Supervisor Heidi Wegleitner and 10 co-sponsors are calling for the board to officially oppose the project and direct the county’s legal department to advise it of all possible strategies for blocking the Air Force plans and mitigating the impact.
Wegleitner, who introduced the resolution Thursday, hopes to garner additional support from the board, whose members have been split on the issue.
Fifteen of the 37 members signed on to a letter last fall urging the secretary of the Air Force to not go through with plans to outfit the Wisconsin National Guard’s 115th Fighter Wing with the new planes.
At least five supervisors filed letters in support. Twenty-two signed a letter of support in 2018, prior to the release of a study detailing the environmental impacts of the decision.
Among the concerns outlined in the resolution is the failure of the National Guard to commit to doing a complete site investigation of PFAS contamination at the airport before beginning up to $120 million in new construction the Air Force says will be needed to accommodate the F-35s that could further disperse the hazardous chemicals.
Wegleitner is also concerned about the availability of federal money to insulate more than 1,000 homes expected to be exposed to high noise levels and what could be done for those who live just outside the official noise mitigation zones.
Hundreds of East Side properties are subject to decades-old easements that the county says precludes them from receiving additional help.
“There’s no guarantee you get sound mitigation funding,” she said. “Will we have the money? Will we have the will? What do you do about kids playing outside?”
Wegleitner said she hopes the resolution, even if it fails, will highlight some of the problems outlined in the environmental impact statement and prompt the board “to protect people as best we can” if Truax is selected.
The Air Force is expected to make a final determination sometime after March 29. The new jets would begin arriving in 2023, though the National Guard has plans to begin some construction projects this spring if authorized.
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