Airport Compliance Up In The Air

Nov 04, 2009 - 15:38:14 CST.

The future of instrument approaches at the Gillespie County Airport remains uncertain as city and county officials continue to negotiate a land easement extension at Lady Bird Johnson Municipal Golf Course.

“This is one of those naughty problems we need to work out, and it seems to come down to money,” Fredericksburg Mayor Jeryl Hoover said.

The airport is currently out of compliance with Federal Aviation Administration regulations due to the encroachment of trees from the city’s golf course on the airport’s required landing zone.

In a proposal given to county officials Thursday, the City of Fredericksburg requests the county pay $1 million for land and other costs to rebuild two of the course’s holes away from the landing zone.

The city would, in return, turn over about three acres of land impacted by the FAA regulation changes to the county, allowing airport officials to trim trees as needed.

“We’ve said, ‘You guys can have the land you need for the airport in perpetuity,” Hoover said. “In return, we need land to fix these holes.”

According to a consultant hired by the City of Fredericksburg, the trees in question, located around No. 7 and No. 8 fairways of the golf course, are vital to the aesthetics and safety of the course which is paid for by city tax money.

Originally, the city discussed selling the county an easement and charging for the cost of the trees and the cost of redesigning both holes.

The new $1 million proposal includes the cost of new land, estimated to be around $400,000, along with $480,000 for fairway construction and $120,000 in contingency funds.

Hoover said that the city will bear any cost above the $1 million to fix the golf course.

County Response

County officials responded to the city’s proposal Monday during a special meeting on the issue by hiring Dr. W. Todd Watson, senior lecturer in Urban Forestry at Texas A&M University, to examine the situation and provide a report on the valuation of the trees in question.

“Initially, we had talked about accepting their experts’ evaluation,” Gillespie County Judge Mark Stroeher said Monday afternoon, adding that county commissioners decided to hire a separate consultant to examine the issue upon the suggestion of the city council.

Hoover said he hopes to hold a joint meeting between city and county officials as early as Nov. 13.

“The bodies have never sat across the table from each other and talked about it in real time,” Hoover said. “We both want to resolve this in the way that’s best for our constituents.”

Stroeher said Tuesday that he hoped the commissioners’ court would be able to meet with the city council and airport advisory board on Nov. 13, but he had no comment about the city proposal itself.

The county judge added that he was willing to discuss the city’s proposal, although he was uncertain if the city would negotiate or if the city’s proposal was “drawing a line in the sand.”

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