Opposition, economy killed runway project at Blaine airport

The volume of the opposition had everything to do with Key Air's decision to withdraw its request for an extended runway at the Anoka County-Blaine Airport, said President and CEO Brad Kost. Combined with the sour economy, the project just didn't seem worthwhile -- now.

"This is such a distraction from where our major focus should be," he said. "Based upon the reaction from the local community and the distraction to our local businesses, the environment is not right for this right now. ... What we need to do is keep the business open and running and really start to build for the future."

On Thursday, the Oxford, Conn.-based aviation company withdrew its request that Metropolitan Airports Commission look into increasing the east-west runway length from 5,000 to 6,000 and the load-bearing capacity to allow for larger business jets.

Still, Kost and the residents opposed to any extension agree that the issue isn't dead, and both are gearing up for the day when the issue comes back.

Kost, whose company is one of a handful of fixed base operators at the airport, maintains that safety issues remain when larger business jets -- think Gulfstream -- need to land on a 5,000-foot runway, especially in inclement weather. For many aircraft, 5,000 feet doesn't allow for much of a margin of error, he said.

Barbara Haake, co-chairwoman of Concerned Citizens of the North Metro, which opposed any extension, doesn't buy it.

"Once they get 6,000, they're going to want seven and they're going to want eight and it's all going to be couched in safety," she said, noting that another 3,000 feet of space is there, even if it's not designated runway space.

She and others maintain that an extension would bring increased traffic and ever-larger planes. She agrees that safety is key, although her group approaches the issue differently. In a conversation Friday, Haake recalled the 2001 story of a Mounds View garage destroyed by a falling airplane, less than half a mile from the airport.

"We do have safety issues and always will have them when you have homes right alongside of [the airport]," she said. "It could have gone into a home and injured more people."

Kost sounded genuinely distressed by the tenor of the discussion. City councils in Lino Lakes, Lexington, Mounds View and Circle Pines have passed resolutions in opposition to any extension. Blaine was set to discuss a similar resolution on Thursday night before the Key Air announcement was made.

"My concern is now we've got a lot of individuals out there and a lot of communities that really feel the airport is not a good neighbor, and that's absolutely not the case," he said. "It's too bad. The major tragedy about this is that this runway extension would have created lots of highly needed jobs for the community. ... Stimulus money would have been available, and that may not be the case when we revisit it down the road."

Still, Kost, who has been criticized widely for trying to move a proposal through without community input, said he will do things differently next time.

"I probably would do roundtables with community members, municipalities, people in housing communities adjacent to the airport," he said. "I would like to sit down and explain our objectives ahead of time. ... I would welcome any type of discussion with anybody at any time that would help them understand who we are and what we are and what we're trying to accomplish."

He acknowledged, though, that this probably wasn't the time to push hard on the proposal. This is the second time since last fall that public opposition has grounded Key Air's attempt at a runway extension.

"Right now the economic conditions in the Twin Cities area have deteriorated pretty dramatically," he said. "Worse than that is the economic conditions of aviation in the Twin Cities."

Others noted that no one can predict the future, or how an improved airport would affect business development in the area. Already, the airport has been upgraded with approach lighting, an instrument landing system and other infrastructure improvements.

As it is, representatives from some of the area's heavy hitters -- Aveda, Infinite Campus and the National Sports Center -- said they don't use the Anoka County airport much. And its draw to potential investors is impossible to quantify.

"The airport is a tool and an asset for marketing to businesses that may benefit from that," said Blaine City Manager Clark Arneson. "Frankly right now I don't know what an additional 1,000 feet means from an economic development standpoint. That's part of the discussion that would come forward."

But Kost maintains that's not the only reason to do it.

"The most important thing for me is that it's safety," he said. "We're defying gravity every day. That's what we do with these aircraft."

Maria Elena Baca • 612-673-4409