News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sisters Eagle Airport has requested inclusion on the Oregon Department of Aviation's list of "airports of state concern," according to ODA planner Jeff Caines.
However, airport manager Dave Campbell told The Nugget that no formal application has been made.
The listing would include a boundary map, much as a site plan is part of a land-use application for a development, Caines noted. The potential scope of the airport boundary has raised concerns among some citizens because of the possibility that "airport activities" within that boundary might fall within the auspices of the state and leave land-use decisions outside local control. A boundary map that has been circulated in association with the request includes Eagle Air Estates and skydiving drop zones that have been in use through the summer.
Caines emphasized that any current boundary map does not have the status of a formal proposal yet - and the process for evaluating any such proposal has not begun.
"We've requested, show us a boundary; show us what we'd be looking at," Caines said.
"We haven't started the initial process on completeness yet," Caines told The Nugget. "In order for us to move forward, we have to have a completed application."
The timeline on the request won't be initiated until there is a completed application. When and if that happens, "affected property owners" - those whose property is within 500 feet of an airport boundary, within an approach corridor, or whose use of their property may be directly affected if the proposed airport is listed - will be given notice of a public hearing. Caines noted that others who are interested can be placed on a notice list by contacting the Oregon Department of Aviation.
ODA will evaluate the proposal based upon applicable criteria and comments received from the airport sponsor, local governments and testimony taken at a public hearing.
None of that is yet underway. In essence, Caines told The Nugget, "A request has been made; formal review has not been completed, and that's where we are now."
A group of citizens concerned about increased airport activity has organized as a limited liability company - Greater Sisters Area Citizens Advisory, LLC. A recent meeting drew about 40 people.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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