Sisters airport dropped from ODOT list

The Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) has eliminated Sisters Eagle Air from a list of small airports which were proposed for protection under new state airport planning rules.

The decision means Deschutes County officials will continue to control land use and development at the Sisters airport, since the facility lies outside the Sisters urban growth boundary

Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) aviation land use planner Tom Highland told The Nugget that the OTC wanted to take a closer look at the Sisters airport.

He said that while no specific issues prompted its exclusion, Deschutes County officials objected to the airport's listing.

Deschutes County Community development director George Read confirmed the county's position, saying that the alleged "protection under the rules may have actually allowed inappropriate expansion of airport activities.

"Since the very beginning Deschutes County has opposed listing Sisters, Read explained. "It was billed as 'protection' when what it really did was allow expansion and aviation-related commercial development.

ODOT developed a list of privately owned, public use airports, including Sisters, that would be subject to new airport planning rules designed by the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development (LCDC).

The LCDC rules impose specific regulations regarding land use and commercial activities on and around the listed airports.

ODOT and LCDC held two public meetings in Deschutes County in the fall of 1998 to review the list of airports.

But when ODOT aeronautics staff presented their proposed list to the Oregon Transportation Commission on March 18, the commission eliminated Sisters.

That decision could still be changed.

"The OTC did adopt the airport planning rule without including Sisters, said ODOT state airports Manager Ann Crook. "They want us to hold another public hearing and do another review of the Sisters airport and Sisters may yet be added.

Local pilots who participated in the meetings expected that the airport would remain listed.

"I was surprised to find out that they didn't include it, said Sisters pilot Vern Goodsell. "They didn't give us any reasons why (it was dropped).

Read said the rules would give the state the power to approve aviation-related commercial development, such as crop dusting, skydiving, airplane sales and airport fueling facilities, without local review or approval.

He said that the county was "looking out for the interests of surrounding property owners near the airport and that "allowing it to expand without local review was not a very positive scenario.

"This way it's subject to local control. It should be a local decision with local public hearings, explained Read.

Sisters Eagle Air owner Clifford Clemens said he would rather have Deschutes County holding the planning strings than be under state regulation.

"If it's between the county and the state, I would rather have George Read in charge, Clemens said. "(The state has) never done one nickel's worth of good for the airport.

"I really have mixed emotions about what the state aeronautics board is doing, Clemens explained. "They're doing everything they can do to wipe out general aviation airports.

ODOT officials said that a date for the future pubic hearing has yet to be decided.