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Post by jean on Jun 7, 2017 14:00:47 GMT -5
I AM REPOSTING THIS INFO AND I WILL BE FOLLOWING THIS WITH INFORMATION ON THIS PROPOSED AIRPORT EXPANSION. WHILE MANY WHO DO NOT HAVE KNOWLEDGE ON THIS SUBJECT MAY THINK EXPANDING THE AIRPORT AT THE CURRENT SITE WOULD BE A GOOD THING....MANY DO NOT KNOW MUCH OF WHAT I WILL PRESENT.
READ THE INFORMATION AND PLEASE SHARE IT AND ATTEND THE FOLLOWING PUBLIC HEARING:
PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED AIRPORT EXPANSION:
WHEN: June 29th, 2017 (Thursday)
Where: Greensburg City Hall Gym
Time: 6 p.m.
PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION!
Please make an effort to attend to defend the property rights and the farm ground that is in the jeopardy of eminent domain if this project is approved. If we do not stand with others who will stand with us?
This quote says it all.
"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
Martin Niemöller
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Post by jean on Jun 7, 2017 14:20:43 GMT -5
How did this proposed airport expansion get started? The BOAC was able to "sell" this expansion proposal through misinformation. They sold it by saying that if they applied for this grant of 95% from the FAA that the cost of this expansion would be cheaper than repaving the current runway. They sold the belief that the repaving would not be eligible for FAA funds for the repaving. Here is a quote from the GDN that shows this is what city council members believed. QUOTE: "Council member Glenn Tebbe felt it was the best decision; considering the alternatives. “If we don’t go forward, we’ll be stuck with the airport we have now and an airstrip that needs to be fixed and a big bill,” he said." www.greensburgdailynews.com/news/lifestyles/council-pledges-to-pilot-airport-expansion-project/article_019227b8-77f5-52a4-aedc-3202396cfd7e.htmlFurther proof that this was not true was the repaving of the current runway and the FAA grant they applied for to do so. This can be viewed in the video taken of the airport board meetings. And yes they did get FAA grant money to do the re-paving. . The Federal attorney, aviation expert, and former FAA environmental attorney we (the Concerned Citizens of Decatur County) hired also confirmed that they would have been eligible for grant money for the repaving of their current runway. |
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Post by jean on Jun 7, 2017 14:29:53 GMT -5
Initially....How did they try to "validate" the "need" for this project?
In their Airport Layout Plan (ALP)(which is about a 2"thick study) they were utilizing that a company called Freeland Property Group would be one of the major reasons to expand this airport.
When I went on the State of Indiana Business Registry Website and was seeking to see who this entity was because i had never heard of them....i found out that they had only been in business a tad time short of 4 years and they were already out of business when i checked. What was really confounding was that the Airport Engineering firm had updated this massive AIP report twice (as was stated in the inside cover of the report) since this company went out of business and they had not bothered to change that information.
So then this information was reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
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Post by jean on Jun 7, 2017 14:39:13 GMT -5
What is the Proposed "cost" of this expansion according to the Board of Aviation Commissioners (BOAC) Airport Layout Plan (AIP)? Phase 1 : $ 18,759,400 Phase 2 : 7,564,600 Phase 3 : 6,574,200 Total : $ 32,898,200 In the link below you can see what they will be seeking in a grant from the Federal and State governments and an estimated amount of what each will pay if they receive the grant. Both have fluctuated back and forth a bit since this was printed and realize that this estimate of costs was a tad bit old so the current costs could be more. www.greensburgairport.com/expectedpricetag.php |
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Post by jean on Jun 7, 2017 14:45:30 GMT -5
Whose land will be needed and how much will have to be taken through eminent domain? Time will tell and many of the landowners do not want to sell.
this is from the last time i asked for a copy of their CIP (Capital improvement plan)...they have to do this yearly and turn it in to granting entities.
Fred L. Sterchi
Decatur Airport Corporation
BOAC Lease &Row from Decatur Airport Corp.
BOAC Lease
Charles and Diane Beggs
Adolph and Rosella Irene Narwold
Leonard Hogarth Hull and Lillian Edna (Litteu)
Earnest R. Hastonand Betty J. Haston revocable trust : Marc Haston , trustee.
Gary P. and Judith L. Koors
John W. Goddard
Leonard Hogarth Hull and Lillian Edna (Litteu)
Ernest R. Haston and Betty J. Haston revocable trust : Marc Haston, trustee.
Fred L. Sterchi
John W. and Geraldine Henry
Fred L. and Barbara Sterchi
Fred L. and Barbara Sterchi
Roger P. and Ethel Linkmeyer
Lowe's Pellets & Grain, Inc.
Indiana State Highway.
NOTE: Remember that any grants received are "reimbursable" grants.....that means that they spend the money and then they apply for the grant reimbursement.
NOTE: According to the CIP the total projected cost of the above land acquisition by eminent domain will take a minimum amount of :
$ 5,127,400.00
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Post by jean on Jun 7, 2017 14:52:36 GMT -5
THE COUNTY INITIALLY GOT OUT OF THE PROPOSED AIRPORT PURCHASE AND EXPANSION BECAUSE THEY DID NOT WANT TO EMINENT DOMAIN FARM GROUND.....WHAT IS THE COUNTY SAYING TODAY IN THEIR NEWLY REVISED COMPREHENSIVE PLAN? WELL IT SEEMS A BIT CONTRADICTORY BUT HERE IT IS..... "Balanced preservation of agricultural land while protecting private property rights" and then in another line they say: "support the City's effort to Expand the Existing Greensburg Municipal Airport" docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/8e5ba9_226870e6ff3e4968b481785075cad09b.pdfHOW CAN YOU CONTACT YOUR COUNTY OFFICIALS AND OBJECT TO THIS ? www.decaturcounty.in.gov/pdf/County%20Officials%20Roster.pdf |
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Post by jean on Jun 7, 2017 15:04:28 GMT -5
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Post by jean on Jun 7, 2017 15:08:31 GMT -5
THIS WAS SOME OF THE INITIAL COUNCIL'S REACTION AND I COULDN'T AGREE MORE WITH THIS! WHAT CHANGED? QUOTE FROM GDN: "Member Ken Dornich said answering the questions will take away a lot of uncertainties about the proposed expansion or re-location. One uncertainty he doesn’t have, however, is whether he would vote for an expansion at the current location. That is a no. “I’m speaking for just myself but I don’t think the current location is the right place,” he said.“I don’t think any of us (Council members) favor taking land forcibly. Also, I think the existence of the sports complex there adds even more problems.” Greensburg Mayor Frank Manus took it a step further and spoke for the entire body. “Ken what you said goes for me and the whole Council,” Manus said. None of the other Council members said this was not true. Messer got the message and said it was everyone’s job to find a new site for the airport." END QUOTE. www.greensburgdailynews.com/news/local_news/city-not-in-favor-of-expansion-at-airport/article_bb56aba1-3295-540b-a3df-40a9c645542e.html |
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Post by jean on Jun 7, 2017 15:17:27 GMT -5
ONE OF OUR LOCAL COMPUTER GURU'S WENT TO THE AIRPORT BOARD MEETING AND MADE A PRESENTATION OF STATISTICS THAT HE PUT TOGETHER CONCERNING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WHERE THESE AIRPORTS ARE EXPANDED....THE RESULTS ARE SURPRISING. SEE WHAT HE HAD TO SAY ABOUT THIS AND BE SURE TO WATCH THIS VIDEO. LISTEN TO WHAT JON DOOLEY SAID IN RESPONSE TO THE STATISTICS THAT MR. RAYLES PRESENTED AND TO THIS DAY THE MORTON MARCUS STUDY THAT JON TOUTED TO MR. RAYLES HAS NEVER MATERIALIZED. BRACK'S PRESENTATION: www.youtube.com/watch?v=iY-0gVQQ80Y&feature=youtu.be |
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Post by jean on Jun 7, 2017 15:22:32 GMT -5
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Post by jean on Jun 7, 2017 15:24:40 GMT -5
First of all who is the TRB that provides the following information? The Transportation Research Board (TRB) is a division of the National Research Council of the United States which serves as an independent adviser to the President of the United States of America, the Congress and federal agencies on scientific and technical questions of national importance. www.google.com/search?q=who+is+the+TRB&oq=who+is+the+TRB&aqs=chrome..69i57j0.4568j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8The FAA from info i have seen will require the cost to benefit analysis AFTER it is a done deal. read what the TRB says below. Major conclusions reached are: 1. Traditional needs analysis and benefit-cost techniques are too subjective to be used to justify airport construction. Return on investment analysis offers the best procedure for objectively evaluating the merits of a project. 2. Alternative project scopes should be tested using return on investment analysis to define the most appropriate project scope. trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=195007Problems exist with market failure in general aviation. Cost-benefit analyses are weak, and are not a good way to get the answers, partly because they are difficult to do, and partly because the decision makers in the political arena do not necessarily use them in the decision making process. General aviation at the local level is weak politically, and EIS must help out here. The beneficiaries of general aviation must be sought out and kept informed in terms they can understand and identify with. trid.trb.org/view.aspx?type=CO&id=194997STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING REVENUE POTENTIAL OF GENERAL AVIATION AIRPORTS Research has shown that only the larger, major airports are financially self-supporting. General aviation airports seldom bring in enough revenues to meet their costs. Although some small airports ostensibly can cover their costs, in most cases this claim is the product of using accounting practices which disguise costs and do not reflect true financial operation. General aviation airports should look to all potential revenue sources--fees, concessions, sales taxes, personal property taxes, and government subsidies. Historically, government subsidies have been restricted to capital improvements. These grants usually have strings attached which require the facilities to be maintained. A case is presented that general aviation airports should also be eligible to receive operational subsidies from state and federal governments. trid.trb.org/view.aspx?id=195006Here is an article from USA today that is well worth reading www.usatoday.com - "Feds keep little-used airports in business" "Three-quarters of general-aviation airports lose money every year and stay solvent only with cash from local taxpayers, says Vitaly Guzhva, a finance professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida." www.todaysthv.com - "Small Airports Land Big Grants" "Critics say the number of subsidized airports with no commercial flights is excessive at a time when larger airports are struggling to deal with delays in air traffic, and that much of the money the general-aviation airports get benefits only a few private pilots." "Congressmen are spending millions building runways at these little airports. That is just a complete waste of money," says Jonathan Ornstein, CEO of Mesa Air Group, a regional air carrier. "There is a huge requirement to overhaul infrastructure at major airports." |
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Post by jean on Jun 7, 2017 15:27:10 GMT -5
A VLJ is a very light jet. in some circles they are considered the wave of the future. They are being used for business, industry, and individual use especially through air taxi services. Honda is making a VLJ. Honda has announced the HA-420 HondaJet with an NBAA range of 1,180 n.m. This is the speed champion at 425 knots (fast enough that ATC might allow you to fly on a jet route at the high altitudes necessary to achieve the maximum range) Take-off distance is 3120'; landing requires 2500'. philip.greenspun.com/flying/very-light-jetsThe length of the Current Runway at the Greensburg Aiport without it being expanded is: 3,433 ft. www.airnav.com/airport/I34Our aviation expert attorney said a very minimal expansion could take place at the current site..that would comply with the FAA safety standards and only take a mere fraction of the farmground as compared to what is currently being proposed. |
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Post by jean on Jun 7, 2017 15:29:37 GMT -5
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Post by jean on Jun 7, 2017 15:33:58 GMT -5
Steve Taber was our aviation expert attorney that previously worked in the FAA environmental department until he went out and started his own business... The Concerned Citizens first offered to let the City hire him for his aviation expertise and his history of working in the FAA environmental legal dept. becasue of the misinformation and confusion we had witnessed but they declined...so we hired him.
When Adam Huening was still editor at the Greensburg Daily News (GDN), he posed a list of questions to the Attorney for the Concerned Citizens of Decatur County which resulted in a GDN front page article.
Dear Mr. Huening,
Below are my answers to the questions you posed. If you have any additional
questions, or need to follow up, please do not hesitate to call me or send
me another e-mail.
1. What services will you provide for the Concerned Citizens?
Originally, I thought I might be retained by the City Council of Greensburg
to provide them with accurate information regarding this confusing process
of dealing with the FAA. It is an area that unless one understands this area
of law, it can be very difficult to follow. As a former attorney with the
Federal Aviation Administration with over 24 years of aviation and
environmental law experience, I thought that my insight and expertise into
this specialized area of law would be beneficial to the City of Greensburg.
Since the City Council chose not to retain me, the Concerned Citizens came
forward and asked if I would represent them and prepare written comments to
be filed by them during the public comment period for the environmental
assessment that is required under the National Environmental Policy Act.
Among other things, the written comments would most likely question what is
called the “purpose and need” of expanding the airport. If the FAA approved
the environmental assessment without giving proper consideration to the
issues raised in the Concerned Citizens’ comments, they would then have the
right to file a Petition for Review in the United States Court of Appeals
for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago. 49 U.S.C. sec. 46110.
Here is Question #2 from Adam Huening to Steve Taber and his answer
2. What is your opinion on the Greensburg project as well as the expansion
of small municipal airports using federal funds?
With respect to the Greensburg project, I am currently in the process of
gathering all the facts and statistics regarding this issue so that I can
properly formulate comments for the Concerned Citizens. Having reviewed the
videos of City Council Meetings, I noticed that there have been many good
questions asked, but the answers have been conflicting. These questions
need to be cleared up before the citizens of Greensburg can make an accurate
and well-informed decision regarding the future of their airport. If and
when the FAA, the state and the City invest the hundreds of thousands, if
not millions of dollars, in upgrading the airport, the citizens of
Greensburg, who are, ultimately, the owners of the airport, need to know
that those funds will be invested in the most profitable way possible.
To me, there is a huge transparency issue here. At the root, there seems to
be a lack of understanding about the FAA’s grant process. For example, at
the September 7, 2010, Greensburg City Council meeting, Rep. Cleo Duncan
read a letter in which Kevin Rector, Manager, Office of Aviation, Indiana
Department of Transportation “summarized facts of the project so far.”
While it is true that the Airport Layout Plan has been conditionally
approved (and that has been verified by the FAA), Rep. Duncan mentioned that
Mr. Rector’s letter stated that an “environmental assessment will evaluate a
series of alternatives based on a re-evaluation of the forecasted
operations, which were approved in the Master Plan.” Since under FAA rules
for its grant process, an Environmental Assessment is not performed in a
vacuum, this is an indication to me, based on my experience as an FAA
attorney and a practitioner of NEPA law, that some project is underway or at
least being considered very seriously. While an ALP is planning document,
an Environmental Assessment is decidedly not. It is the first step in
seeking a grant from the FAA for a project, since, according to NEPA, the
FAA cannot give the grant without it. As far as I know, there has been no
indication what that project is.
Moreover, although an Environmental Assessment does contain “series of
alternatives,” it is not an unbiased document, since NEPA regulations
require that it state a “preferred alternative.” 40 CFR 1502.14.
Oftentimes, the preferred alternative is pre-determined prior to the
commencement of the Environmental Assessment and the other “alternatives”
are simply straw men to make the “preferred alternative” look good. To me,
the prudent path would be for the BOAC to hold open and public hearings on
each and every alternative that is being considered in the Environmental
Assessment so that there is a consensus amongst the citizens of Greensburg
as to what the preferred alternative should be prior to the BOAC submitting
the Environmental Assessment to the FAA for approval. However, telling what
the BOAC should or should not do is beyond the scope of my representation
Here is question #3 from Adam Huening to Steve Taber and his answer:
3.) Please offer a quick overview of the local project now as you see it?
Two comments, both of which are beyond the scope of my representation. One,
after reviewing many of the videos on YouTube, I saw people talking past
each other, failing to communicate to the audience what exactly was going on
with respect to the airport. Some seemed genuinely interested in getting to
the bottom of the issue, other seemed more interested in obfuscating the
issue. Likewise, on the one hand, I heard Council members stating their
concern that it would cost the City $2 million dollars if the airport did
not proceed down the path already laid out by the BOAC and nothing could or
should be done to stop the “project.” Then, a couple of meetings later, the
City Council was told that all options were still on the table and that
there was no “project.” Again, this is beyond the scope of my
representation, but from past experience, this can come to no good end
without open and honest discussion of what is going on with the airport –
one that is grounded in facts, laws and regulations instead of conjecture,
hearsay and opinion.
Two, when I visited Greensburg in August, I visited the airport. I saw an
airport that was constrained to the North and West by a highway, to North,
East and Southeast by ballparks, a city park and County fairgrounds, and to
South and Southwest by farms under cultivation, whose owners do not want to
give up their property. Looking at this site from the perspective of a
former FAA attorney, the inevitable question was raised in my mind: why
would you seek to expand a one runway airport in place where expansion would
cause all sorts of inevitable problems with land use? Even if you are able
to squeeze in the expansion into the current configuration, what happens if
the airport turns out to be the economic engine that the proponents claim it
will be and it needs to be expanded again? Where will that expansion go?
4. What course of action do the Concerned Citizens have in the federal
process?
Supply the citizens of Greensburg with the information they need to make an
informed, reasonable decision about the future of their airport. Make
comments whenever possible to inform the FAA of their position with respect
to the airport.
5. Is there anything that the group can or plans to do prior to the issuance
of the EA? Is there anything to do or is it a waiting game?
For me, it is a waiting game. For the group, I would say that they need to
continue what they are doing – pushing and prodding the BOAC and the City
Council to do the right thing and hold open and honest discussions about the
future of the airport that are grounded in facts, laws and regulations.
6. Does environmental law come into play here or is it strictly an aviation issue?
It is both. Environmental law is in play because the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) and several other environmental statutes are implicated
when you ask the FAA for grant money. It is an aviation issue, because it
involves an airport and, with respect to the grant and project approval, the
FAA. For your information, I have attached a flow chart regarding the NEPA
process.
I am glad you enjoyed my web site. I have worked hard to keep it
informative and useful not only to practitioners of environmental law, but
also to members of the media.
Yours very truly,
Steve Taber
Steven M. Taber
TABER LAW GROUP
13 Atlanta,
Irvine, California 92620
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Post by jean on Jun 9, 2017 8:28:21 GMT -5
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