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Show AirpoG-v expansion provesveci. Officers representing an organization ailed Airport Betterment Committee of Ashley Valley met with the Uintah Canty Commissioners Monday af-, af-, iTwonand presented their reasons for ; slag present and future expansion 3 at Vernal Municipal Airport. , A letter was presented to the Com-cssion, Com-cssion, and will later be presented to city, as a registered protest to 4eland purchases, terminal building plans and expansion "which have not ten announced" for the Vernal airport. air-port. E-Joseph Winder, W. Wallace "Tder and Mike Gardiner, property owners near the airport, directors of the betterment committee read the letter and explained their contention with the present airport expansion plans. The letter stated that, "Some have already said that they would consider lawsuits if the airport is further developed at its present location. This, along with the high cost of developing it where it could run into more money than it would cost to move it to an outlying area and start over from scratch." "We enter our protest against your procedures in not having a properly advertised public hearing for either the Master plan or for the improvements which are planned for the immediate future," the letter stated. The three airport protest representatives asked that the airport move issue be put to the vote of local citizens in an election. The group also requested that it be given a voice on their opinion regarding the wording of the ballot to be used in the election. The County commissioners told the airport relocation committee members that rebidding for the new terminal building would be advertised in January 1980 and that negotiations were presently underway to purchase or exchange property for 18 acres of land needed for the new terminal building. An agreement was signed by Uintah County and Vernal City last week with the Federal Aviation Administration wherein the FAA will pay 91 percent of the cost of a new fire truck and the purchase of the land necessary for the new terminal building. The land has been appraised in the four to five thousand dollar per acre value. Wallace Winder stated that he thought a public hearing must be held before the county could buy land for the airport. The Commissioners differed with Winder and said they had already purchased a portion of the land for the extension of the main runway. Winder said, "He would be put out of business" if the airport was expanded to accommodate ac-commodate jet traffic. Joseph Winder said the issue should be studied by an unbiased organization or persons and that alternate sites for the airport be studied before expansion at the present airport continued. The commissioners were reluctant to the request that the people of Uintah County be given a chance to vote on the airport issue. They pointed out that hearings have been conducted and that the airport expansion was necessary because of the present and future growth of the area. |