Yep, big day indeed!
Fifty years of airport rancour must end with decision to close it
Coun. Ed Gibbons has framed a common-sense motion that is the best middle ground of all positions
Scott Mckeen
Edmonton Journal
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Edmonton's historic and bitter airport debate ends today.
A motion to close the City Centre Airport will be brought forward by Coun. Ed Gibbons. If approved by council--and it must be--the airport's runways will be closed over time and in stages.
The Gibbons'solution is a commonsense approach to an issue that has divided and dogged this city for 50 years. Not only does the proposal respect the airport's existing users, it respects the public interest in developing underutilized land in the city core.
The proposal is to close one runway promptly; the other at some future date when the remaining airport lands are ripe for development.
Closing Runway 1634 immediately opens up roughly 250 acres of airport property. NAIT can expand at its main campus, along the future northern leg of LRT, instead of at an alternate and remote south-side location.
Closing 1634 also removes the flight-path height restriction downtown and encourages redevelopment and revitalization in and around Jasper Avenue.
Those restrictions often scared off developers who asked for additional building height to make downtown projects affordable and profitable.
As well, the closure of Runway 1634 makes extending the LRT to NAIT simpler and cheaper. The same can be said of taking LRT north past the airport.
Finally, closing the one runway --as opposed to none, or both--is as close to a win-win as one can imagine.
The remaining airstrip, Runway 1230, is already the busier of the two. So, the aviation businesses, private planes and medevacs can continue to operate out of the downtown airport into the foreseeable future.
It is both pragmatic and respectful to the Muni's aviation businesses, including the aviation museum, to allow them time to operate as usual, then plan for eventual closure. Alberta Health can also prepare for a day when medevacs must use an alternate airstrip.
The medevac concern, though wildly exaggerated as a life-and-death issue, was central in the Muni debate.
Some councillors conveniently forgot that medevacs are the responsibility of the provincial government, not the city.
But rhetorical flourishes and fury were typical for the Muni debate. Extremists on both sides, therefore, won't like this compromise.
It's even possible one side or the other will attempt a petition to put the airport question to a plebiscite in the 2010 civic election. But given the concessions in the Gibbons solution, Edmontonians won't be in the mood for another rancorous airport debate and vote.
It is incumbent on council today to be clear in its decision. Council must signal that this is a temporary arrangement; that the Muni is headed toward an eventual closure.
No new aviation business can be allowed to establish at the Muni. The aviation infrastructure must be maintained, yes, but not be enhanced. Council must also demand that the remaining scheduled service at the downtown airport be terminated immediately. The 1995 referendum was clear--scheduled service was to consolidate at the International Airport.
Some small northern airlines still fly directly into the Muni. This is a competitive advantage for them, but it contravenes the spirit and the intent of the 1995 plebiscite.
Charters can continue for the foreseeable future. Private planes and medevacs can fly in and out of the one runway.
Student pilots can continue their training at the Muni. But scheduled service must end with the closure of Runway 1634.
Ed Gibbons is a pragmatic politician. Gibbons says he likely would have allowed the status quo at the Muni.
But when his ward mate, Coun. Tony Caterina, called for open skies over the Muni, council was forced into a corner.
Gibbons says it's possible one of his council colleagues will attempt today to delay the decision to a later date. Yet another might try to convince council to turn this over to a public plebiscite.
Edmontonians will not be amused by either tactic. We've been arguing over airports for 50 years.
A thoughtful, even decent solution to this never-ending mess will be put to the mayor and councillors today. The bearer of that solution has a strong message for his colleagues.
"Make a decision," says Ed Gibbons with a clear note of frustration in his voice.
I second that emotion.
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© The Edmonton Journal 2009
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