Runway project in Blaine hits a bit of turbulence

A proposal to expand a runway at the Anoka County-Blaine Airport would make the airport safer and more inviting to larger planes. And that means big problems for project runway, opponents say.

"This will destroy property values in that area of Blaine," predicted Anoka County Commissioner Rhonda Sivarajah. Jim Keinath, city administrator of neighboring Circle Pines, added: "Typical ground noise here is three decibels. A plane coming in at 55 decibels could be incredibly disruptive."

At issue is not so much the length of the east-west runway, which would be extended from 5,000 feet to 6,000 feet. Opponents of the proposal say that extending the runway will invite more cargo planes. That would mean more noise to a fast-developing area that boasts the National Sports Center and the Tournament Players Club golf course and hopes to attract more upscale companies such as Aveda, which is headquartered in Blaine.

The city has adopted a policy that it does not support the expansion of the airport if it means upgrading to "intermediate" status, which would change the size and weights of planes allowed to land, said Blaine City Manager Clark Arneson. And as of Friday, the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) had yet to officially discuss extending a runway at Blaine, said MAC Commissioner Andy Westerberg, a former state representative from Blaine.

Yet, both Blaine, which will discuss the issue formally Thursday, and the MAC are expressing more than just a curious interest. For Blaine and the area, an extended runway could mean extensive business.

The airport expansion flew under the radar until Friday, when Anoka County announced that county commissioners would discuss the issue Tuesday at a board meeting. It is believed that the Anoka Airport Development LLC -- and not taxpayers -- will pay to extend the runway. The cost of the expansion is not yet known.

"Whoever proposes it, pays for it," Westerberg said.

The runway expansion is crucial for safety reasons for an airport subject to ice, snow and gray days, Westerberg said.

"If there are stipulations that don't allow for big planes [in the expansion plan], then this is a good thing for everybody," Westerberg. "If the purpose is to increase air traffic, then I understand there may be issues."

The Circle Pines City Council has pledged not to support the extension. And folks in nearby Mounds View are skeptical, said Barb Haake, a former legislator who authored a bill passed into state law in 2000 that says that any airport with a runway longer than 5,000 feet gains intermediate status.

County Commissioner Robyn West said the longer runway may clear the way for insurance companies to permit larger planes to land at the airport. But she worries that the runway structure will not support planes weighing more than 66,000 pounds -- believed to be the current limit -- even with an extension.

Hollis Cavner, director of the 3M Championship Tournament at the TPC, has long been a driving force in the Blaine business community and lobbied hard for the recent airport expansion. Cavner, in Florida, said he was unaware of Tuesday's meeting. But Sivarajah said she was told that it was Cavner who asked that the board support a resolution to extend the runway.