PORT ANGELES — “Airports and trees don’t mix.”
That sentiment has remained steady through more than four decades of public debate, Port of Port Angeles’ executive director Karen Goschen said.
At a joint meeting Friday, Port Angeles City Council members and Port of Port Angeles board of commissioners approved an interlocal agreement to remove trees that obstruct the approach to 5,000 feet of Runway 26 at William R. Fairchild International Airport.
The agreement says that the port and city will cooperate in removing trees that grow within five feet of the approach path.
The port also may remove, at its own expense, all tree seedlings up to 20 feet tall that have the potential to grow into the approach path.
Approximately 400 trees out of 4,000 in the park limit flight visibility, Goschen said.
The motion passed 7-1 with Councilman Lee Whetham opposing.
While he supports the airport, Whetham said, he’s not interested in Lincoln Park becoming a bare grass field and wanted to speak more about regrowth before approving the agreement.
On June 15, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice to the port imposing the restriction that instrument approaches to night landings on Runway 26 at the airport would no longer be allowed because of the obstructing trees in the park.
In addition, the FAA may “from time to time and without notice to the port” impose landing reactions on Runway 26 because of safety concerns related to obstructing trees, according to the agreement.
The interlocal agreement acts as an interim measure until a formal FAA-approved avigation easement can be adopted.
“We’re waiting to see if we have the support of the FAA for a 5,000-foot runway,” Goschen said.
The FAA has indicated they are considering shortening the runway length from 5,000 to 3,850 feet. A shortened runway would not require any tree removal, Goschen said.
However, it could prevent Medevac flights, military emergency response for Cascadia Rising earthquake drills, business jet activity and the ability of airlines to fly midsize jets into the airport, she said.
A meeting with the FAA is scheduled for Sept. 21.
Rehabilitating the 5,000-foot runway would cost an estimated $5 million to $10 million; the FAA and the port would each pay half, Goschen said.
So far, the port has spent $60,000 in tree removal and anticipates spending another $100,000. Then, the port will likely spend $40,000 yearly to maintain the flight path, Goschen said.
To give background to the longtime issue of trees at Lincoln Park obstructing the runway, Goschen reflected on the year 1973.
Nearly 30 years after the U.S. military clear-cut Lincoln Park in 1942, the trees grew back — and posed a problem.
In “the year’s most lively public hearing,” Port Angeles Evening News reporter Scooter Chapman wrote, the port considered cutting the trees, selling the logs and using the dollars for improving parks throughout the city.
They also considered planting shorter trees and shortening the runway to 3,000 feet, Goschen said.
Friday’s conversation among Port Angeles City Council members and Port of Port Angeles commissioners revisited several of those options, including planting shorter trees and improving Lincoln Park.
Councilman Brad Collins said he has seen 28 years of council discussion about Lincoln Park trees obstructing the runway.
“This conversation is like every other conversation we’ve had for 28 years,” Collins said.
Shortly before the vote, Mayor Patrick Downie urged council members and commissioners to pass the motion, noting it’s “absurd” that Collins has seen 28 years of discussion.
“Let’s for heaven’s sake get some gumption and agree to agree,” Downie said.
The interlocal agreement will remain in place until the FAA approves a formal avigation easement.
“It is difficult to estimate how long this will take since the FAA has indicated they are considering shortening the runway length from 5,000 feet to 3,850 feet,” the agreement reads.
Before trees are removed, the port must prepare a tree removal and restoration plan and submit it to City Manager Dan McKeen for approval.
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Reporter Sarah Sharp can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or at ssharp@peninsuladailynews.com.
