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Airport
Manager Rebuttal (Handed out at 9/7 Mtg) To the Editor, (Intnended for The Times) It was with much dismay and confusion that I read a letter that was printed in the Saturday, September 4, 1999 edition of the Trenton Times. I usually have a high regard for your newspaper for newsworthy and truthful information that is printed. But the letter that was printed, in regards to the Trenton-Robbinsville Airport, was filled with false accusations and assumptions. This type of misinformation can lead to hysteria, as it has. The person that wrote the letter, I assume, has attended the township meetings, but has fallen victim to a syndrome affiliated with some people that live in the vicinity of small local airports. It is called Selective Hearing. The owners, manager and consultants of the airport have tried desperately to keep a working relationship with the town and its residents. We have made several concession as to the development of the airport. We have listened to the residents as to what they would and would not like to see at the airport. We have set constrictions, on the size of the airport, that will limit the amount of income the airport will be allowed to generate. We have set our sights on RESTORING the airport, rather than developing it. Granted we are going to expand our aircraft parking area or possibly our hangar facility, but that is not for some time. Here is the time line we expect to follow as to our growth, and what the residents can expect in the future, if it goes as planned. We are going to finish phase one of our restoration of the transient tie down area. Hopefully by next year we will begin phase two of the restoration. What this restoration will do is restore the pavement to a safe and usable surface. It will dramatically improve the esthetics of the airport and hopefully breath new life into the airport. It will also make it safer when the airport hosts the EAA events, when we give free flights to kids. It will also create a new area, for when we host the Boy and Girl Scouts, as we have been doing, for their Aviation Merit Badge. The restoring will of course help us generate new monies for the airport. The monies generated go toward salaries of the people that work here that support their families of help to pay for college educations of the students that work here. These same monies are also used to help with the maintenance of the airport. In a few years we are hoping to cap and seal the 3.5 acre parcel where the old fertilizer plant was. This will do two things. One, it will prevent any clean water from seeping into the ground to then become contaminated. By doing this we are helping the environment because we are not contributing to an existing problem that someone else created, that we have to clean up. Two, it will create a new area for planes to be tied down in. Again helping the airport to maintain its own existence as a business. The capping will also help improve the esthetics of the airport and its surrounding community. Now to address some of the misinformation that was disseminated in the letter. Robbinsville airport is not set up, nor are there any plans to be set up to handle any type of cargo operation, It is not feasible for the airport or any cargo carrier to do so. We have so many limiting factors here, one being the cost for both parties involved. And two the accessibility of the turnpike to Newark International Airport, the biggest hub that the cargo companies have. It is cheaper and faster to use ground transportation. One of the concessions that the airport owner made was not lengthening the runway. THE RUNWAY WILL NOT BE MADE LONGER. There are no FAA standards for runway lengths, in regards to jets. I do not know any other way that we can make that more clear. It has been stated time and again at the planning board meetings (reference Selective Hearing Syndrome). We already have small corporate jets that fly in and out of here on an irregular basis. These jets come in here due to local businesses. They will come here at about the same pace in the future, once in a while. The construction of the Sharon School and the creation of the Yellow Ribbon Day Care Center was not done by the owner of the airport. It was the zoning officers job, at that time to understand and set the parameters for safety. If we could go back in time and change those decisions, maybe it would have been different. I know, that as a professional pilot and flight instructor, I will not be looking to land on any buildings. I think that the zoning officer at that time was an educated person, who realized that we are all here to help preserve life, as best we can, and not land on a school or day care facility. So far it has not happened. Personally I would be more worried about a car driving off the road or highway and killing someone. The diversion of Spring Garden Road is something that has been considered for a long time. If the road was to be moved, it will be done with the safety of cars and airplanes in mind. Not extending the runway. It would also turn that piece of ground into a ratable that the owner of the airport would have to incur. The corporate terminal that is proposed on the Master Plan is a thought. It is not approved. We are still waiting to hear from members of the community. It will probably become another concession. There are also no plans to construct a new "flight school". The airport already has three flight training facilities. They are not hazards, as stated in the letter. Every student pilot must learn from an instructor. Nobody walks into an airplane and starts flying. If they did, then I could understand the cause for concern. Otherwise, it is an invalid accusation that was made by the author of the letter, We are interested in constructing new hangars in the future. Our main problem is we are limited in regards to space. The Master Plan shows where they go and maybe some day it will come to fruition. In my professional opinion, I doubt it. We lost a lot of area when we built the retention basin and are losing even more ground with the new restrictions that are being placed on all airports by the FAA. Safety is the biggest concern in the FAA, as it is with us. We are not willing to jeopardize any living soul for the sake of more income. No work has been done that bypasses any township official. Everything is carefully looked at by all parties involved, for the sake of safety. In regards to the statement of pollution, airplanes are more fuel efficient than cars, we do not have any trucks coming here, other than the ones we are using for construction and no, your property values will not diminish. The idea that health and safety are being threatened, is preposterous. An airport is an open space that helps preserve land. When land restrictions are in place and used properly, property values go up, not down. The airport contributes a great deal of money to the property taxes in the town. It does not send any students to the schools and we pay for our own sanitation. The airport is a benefit to the town, if it is viewed as such. A benefit, a plus, an added bonus, a place to come and learn about math, science, weather, technology or to just enjoy the wonder and beauty of flight. I do encourage the residents to come out to the meetings in reference to the airport. It is your airport too. Please, help us to help you better. We have kept all of our promises and will continue to do so in the future. We have one of best relationships with its community on the state. We must continue to work together and maintain on open ear to each other, in order for things to work out in the end. False accusations and propaganda tactics do nothing, but create hysteria and bad feelings toward one another. So help us to continue to work together. Stay informed and help make the Trenton-Robbinsville Airport the best general aviation airport in the state. Airport Manager
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