The following attendees signed in and gave contact info to be put on a project mailing list:

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Mervyn Hunt
5 years ago
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1 Notes from Scoping Meeting Report VISTA FIELD ALTERNATIVES STUDY Date: October 4, 2012 Location: TriCities Visitor and Convention Bureau, Bechtel Conference Room Present: Duany Plater-Zyberk and Company (Michael Mehaffy, presenter; Laurence Qamar, Tom Low); Century West Engineering (Matt Rogers), ECONorthwest (Nick Popenuk), Parametrix (Shane Phelps). Port of Kennewick: Larry Peterson, Ben Floyd (consultant, Anchor QEA) Approx. 30 stakeholders (see sign-in list attached) Michael Mehaffy (project manager for consultant team leader Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co.) began by welcoming attendees and thanking them for attending. Team members introduced themselves. MM then gave an overview of the project (see PowerPoint attached) and then invited breakouts in groups (Aviation, Economic, Environmental, Other Mixed Uses, General Comments). MM then invited questions. Several attendees asked procedural questions about the process, and team members clarifed the process and dates. Other attendees made general comments about the future of Vista Field, ranging from a desire for the Port to properly fund the facilities, to a desire to put the operation on a user-pay basis. (See also the newspaper article attached.) Attendees then joined the fve break-out groups and made comments, as noted on the following pages. The following attendees signed in and gave contact info to be put on a project mailing list: Scoping Meeting Sign-in Sheet Name Interest 1 Shannon and Bill Hightower Have plane in hangar at Vista Field 2 Barb Carter Development standards, design criteria 3 Scott Revell KID 4 Tom Moak Former councilman, City of Kennewick 5 Gene Spaulding 6 Jerry Cooper Keep Vista 7 Herb Brayton Resurect Vista (? Can't read writing) 8 Jose A. Chavallo 9 Edward Keenan 10 Candice Bluechel 11 Rod Bluechel 12 Paul Christensen 13 John Givens 14 Ed Frost 15 Ian and Debbie Snellie D U A N Y P L A T E R - Z Y B E R K A N D C O M P A N Y * S W 2 5 T H AV E, M I A M I, F L * ( )

2 Scoping Meeting Comments: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES (Transcribed from flip chart notes taken by Shane Phelps, Parametrix Inc.) Water quality surface/groundwater One stakeholder suggested using the vegetated area around the airport as water reclamation/ground-water recharge. Archaeology/Historical Interlocking carrier decking is present at Vista Field. It is a holdover from WWII when VF was used as a navy auxiliary training area. Stakeholders would like to see this carrier decking retained and displayed in either the redevelopment or airport expansion alternatives. Wildlife No comments were received. Utilities No comments were received. Air Quality No comments were received. Traffic No comments were received. Aesthetics/Visual Quality One stakeholder would like to see improvements to aesthetics/visual quality if the airport is retained. Improvements include landscaping, xeriscaping, artwork (aviation related/inspired), and a playground (airplane-shaped playground equipment). Also, amenities for viewing the airport, including walking paths and platforms, should be present. Zoning One stakeholder stated that they believe that zoning for the airport should reflect that greenspace is located within the area. Hazardous materials Stakeholder input listed potential hazardous material locations on-site including base course used for the tarmac, historical spills, etc. One stakeholder stated that he believes that drums are potentially buried on site. These drums were historically used for arrestor cables to simulate landing on aircraft carriers for pilot training during WWII. Also, historically, old fuel tanker (USTs) were present near t-hangars.

3 Scoping Meeting Comments: ECONOMIC ISSUES (Transcribed from flip chart notes taken by Nick Popenuk, ECONorthwest) The City s recent and ongoing effort to bring new vacant land into the City for industrial uses allows for more flexibility of uses for potential redevelopment of Vista Field. Without this new supply of industrial land, the supply in the City would be constricted, and there would be much pressure on redevelopment of Vista Field to accommodate industrial growth. Now that the City has taken steps to increase the supply of vacant industrial land, that pressure has been relieved. Uncertainty is bad for business. Businesses need this issue to be resolved once and for all before economic growth can occur. Look forward: lack of development type in past doesn't mean it won't work in future. For example, higher-density, mixed-use development has not been built in Kennewick, but that does not guarantee that it cannot work on this site. When looking at similar facilities (i.e., small airports in small urban areas), they are typically located out of town or on the edge of an urban area. Vista Field is unique, because it is located in the center of an urban area. Do we need three airports? Vista is 100' higher in elevation than Pasco airport. This means that Vista is less affected by fog and floods. What synergy does the airport bring to center of town? How does the airport improve the economic activity of the surrounding area, vs. if it was redeveloped as another use? Fiscal impacts are important. The public wants to know how taxpayer dollars are being used, and what the different fscal impacts are for keeping the airport open vs. closing it and redeveloping the site. What is the property worth? We want to know a realistic estimate of the land value after accounting for the cost to clean up and prepare the site for redevelopment. Long-term jobs are more important than short-term construction jobs. Also, high-paying jobs (like high-tech or manufacturing) are better than low-paying jobs (like retail). Accidents are a concern. Who wants to develop adjacent to an airport, if there is a risk that a plane crash could occur? What are the real risks of a plane crash? Ultimately, we want to see clear, real costs for each option

4 We want to see hard data on use of airport. How many flights actually happen from Vista Field? What are tenants of Vista Field hangers paying in rent? Is this a fair price? Can and should the hanger leases be more expensive? It is important to consider the quality of hangars when determining market rents. The existing hangers at Vista Field have dirt floors, and are less desirable than other hangers.

5 Scoping Meeting Comments: AVIATION ISSUES (Transcribed from flip chart notes by Matt Rogers, Century West Engineering) Captain B.B. Smith started Vista Field and its surroundings. Vista Field was used for Air Force/Navy training base as an alternative to Pasco. The T-hangars utilize the metal decking that was built to simulate carrier take offs and landings. There used to be more businesses around Vista Field, until the Port started talking about possible closure of the air feld. The uncertainty of a looming closure caused many businesses and users to leave. Since Vista Field is not an FAA National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) airport, it does not receive funding from the FAA. Funding for major improvements must be funded by the Port. Some limited funding is available from WSDOT Aviation. Since the airport is not funded by the FAA it is not constrained by many of the development and use restrictions that are applicable on an FAA funded airport. The largest advantage is the ability to sell land rather than just lease the land with runway and taxiway access. Mike White He is a pilot and Kennewick resident. He has a Cessna Cardinal that is now based at the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco. - He wants more stability and certainty for Vista Field. - He wants a wise use of taxpayer s funding. - He believe the Port is not good at airport management - Closing the airport will result in more businesses to leaving the area and with it a loss of jobs. - He believes the Vista Field Master Plan should be implemented. The Port is responsible for maintaining transportation facilities. Ian Snellie - He is a tenant of a Vista Field Hangar for the past 7 years. He has a Beechcraft based at the airport that he uses for personal and business transportation. - Port has spent a lot of money in the effort to close the airport. - Port paid to remove businesses and the FBO. - Port bought two hangars for $600k. - Port is not General Aviation Friendly - Port needs to provide guarantees to businesses that the airport will remain open. - Need to provide a GA friendly environment. Herb Brayton is a hangar developer that has developed hangars at other airports. He provided rates at other airports below.

6 Jose Chavallo wants to know how much users are paying and what are market rates. He believes the airport should be moved. Ed Keenan says the airport location is an asset. He has a Cessna 150 and a hangar. Desires from pilots using Vista Field: - GPS approach - Fuel card lock that works consistently - FBO (Fixed Base Operator) - Hangar Space - Maintenance - Restrooms - 50-year lease like Port of Benton What is the real cost of hangars: - Rate analysis - $160/ month for hangar - 13 nested T s at $235/month at Richland. Most are around $200.month - 50 x50 box hangars at Richland for $625 Other general comments: - Airport should be moved - Tired of paying taxes on something only 20 people use. - There is no hard data on airport use or activity. - Whatever scenario is proposed need to know the costs. - Lots of studies and no action. - It s gotta be a planned development not cut-up - Need to be for the entire community.

7 Scoping Meeting Comment: MIXED USE REDEVELOPMENT ISSUES (Transcribed from flip chart notes by Laurence Qamar, Duany Plater-Zyberk) It needs to be be a planned development, not a cut-up piece meal development. The Vista Field site needs to be of beneft for the entire community. Whatever scenario is proposed, we need to know the costs. There have been lots of studies and no action! We're tired of paying taxes on something only 20 people use. We need hard data on airport use and activity.

8 Scoping Meeting Comments: GENERAL ISSUES (Transcribed from flip chart notes by Tom Low, Duany Plater-Zyberk) 1) We need objective results for both alternatives. 2) You should evaluate a potential new airport location south of town. 3) What is the return on investment of each alternative? We need to know that. 4) Airport users should pay for their benefts. 5) Consider quality of life and artful design in the alternatives.

Wyoming Valley Airport Proposed Improvements. Presented June 26, 2012 By The WBW Airport Advisory Board & FBO

Wyoming Valley Airport Proposed Improvements Presented June 26, 2012 By The WBW Airport Advisory Board & FBO Contents Purpose of meeting Airport overview Background of proposed improvements SWOT analysis