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HomeMy Public PortalAbout1974_08_20 42 RECONVENED MEETING (From August 14 , 1974) OF LEESBURG TOWN COUNCIL, AUGUST 20, 1974 . A reconvened meeting of the Leesburg Town Council was held in the Council Chambers , 10 West Loudoun Street, Leesburg, Virginia , on August 20, 1974 at 7 : 30 P.M. , said meeting having been recessed on August 14, 1974 . The meeting was called to order by;Mayor Hill. Those present were Mayor G. Dewey Hill , Councilmen Charles E. Bange , Mary Anne Newman, Robert A. Orr, Herbert L. Ridder, James A. Rock and C. Terry Titus ; also Town Manager James W . Ritter, Jr. Present from the Board of Supervisors of Loudoun County were Mem- bers William C. Crossman , Jr. , Chairman, James F . Brownell, John A. Costello, Frank Raflo, James E. Arnold, Henry C . Stowers and Paul J. Walstad; also County Administrator Philip A. Bolen and Planning Di- rector Joseph Trocino. Also present were Leesburg Airport Advisory. Committee members C. Ronald Lowry, Chairman, Thomas I. Blankenship, James H. Chamblin and John A. Wallace , Jr. • A statement was read by Mayor Hill , stating that this meeting is being held in order to acquaint the Board of Supervisors with the ex- tent and nature of recommendations of the Leesburg Airport Advisory Committee as to the future development of Godfrey Field. Council commended the Airport Advisory Committee for its diligence and ex- haustive study of the Airport situation and thanked the officials from the Federal and State agencies for their attendance at tonightis meeting . Council also wishes to emphasize that the recommendations of the Committee have not been adopted by the Council and this meet- ing is not to be taken as a commitment by the Council to proceed with the recommendations , however, Council will give serious consideration thereto. Budgetary limitations and other necessary capital improve- ments will have to be considered in establishing priorities in the future programs of the Town . He also stated that there will be no communications from the public tonight, this is strictly an informa- tive meeting for the public and the Board of Supervisors . Any ques- tions will be addressed to the Airport Advisory Committee'. This program will be given full and complete public input at a time when the Town is ready to consider the complete Comprehensive Plan of the Airport. The meeting was then turned over to Mr. Lowry , Chairman of the Airport Advisory Committee , who gave a brief resume of Phases I and II of the proposed Master Plan , along with what is expected of the last two phases of the four-part study . He gave a history of what has been done since the Airport Advisory Committee was appointed by the Town Council , this dealing with the many problems encountered by the Committee and the remedies recommended. He spoke concerning zon- ing around the Airport and stated that the commission is eager to hold public hearings concerning the upcoming Master Plan for the Airport. It is also hoped that an Airport Authority might be formulated and steps have been taken to this end. A chart was presented, showing the goals of the Committee . Mr. Richard Stewart of Henningson, Durham and Richardson , engi- neers employed by the Town to conduct the Master Plan study for the Airport, addressed the meeting, showing slides and explaining to those assembled the property encompassed by the present Airport, estimated needs for now and in the future , along with projected costs for same. It was pointed out that the immediate need is for an aircraft apron, along with related items for same , estimated cost of same being $455 ,000 . Of this cost, the Federal FAA would bear 75 per cent, with the State and the Town splitting the remainder. The Town 's share would be approximately $57 ,000. Another priority is the acquisition of land for a new runway facility. There has been approximately $1 ,000,000 spent at the present Airport, with the projected project cost over a 15-20 year period being approximately $5 ,000,000. Also discussed at length was the noise and the safety factor in the area of the Airport . It is recommended that zoning be for a recreational facility or some type of industrial facility in the immediate areas surrounding the Airport. 43 MINUTES OF AUGUST 20, 1974 MEETING . Mr. William A. Whittle, Chief of the Washington Airports District Office of the FAA, briefly outlined the history of the growth of Godfrey Field, pointing out that it_was not until 1970 that Federal funds became available for planning studies. He was , very frankly, disappointed in the progress to date on the Airport ' s Master Plan Study, however, he felt that quality should not be sacrificed for speed. He pointed out that the FAA views an airport as part of community planning , as well as a part of the plan for total trans- portation systems . Therefore, it was felt that there should be County participation in this plan. Mr . Whittle also said that Dulles Airport is growing the way it was planned, in spite of rumors that it is not - it was designed for the future. It is anticipated that there will beas many as 400 planes attempting to use Leesburg 's facilities in the future . There is a need for smaller airports for smaller aircraft. He said there is currently a study being made to serve as a total plan for aviatioki facilities in the eastern part of the Uni$ , etes . Also, there is/program called Airport Develop- ment Ai aid in development Under this program, there is normally $310,000,000 per year to assist in development for various types of airports . However, this money has been committed through the end of fiscal 1975 . Leesburg ' s only hope is that some of the projects may not go forward as planned. In this case , there would be funds available for use at. other airports . This funding willexpire at the end of fiscal 1975 , however, it is hoped that it might be ex- tended through legislation. Colonel Willard G. Plentl, Director, Division of Aeronautics , State Corporation Commission, introduced the State Manager for. the Airports System Plan . He said this Plan is developing a system of airports that are an economic asset to the Commonwealth . They build airports to serve the private enterprise type of aircraft, those that are providing jobs for people and serving to encourage industry. The State has provided approximately $1 ,000,000 per year to match local community money to develop small airports . At the present time , Manassas is the only bright spot in Northern Virginia , but S even they are still behind the demand. It was Colonel Plentl 's hope to encourage this area to move ahead now, to provide a fa- cility that is an economic asset to the area . Questions and answers followed, with one question being who is going to use this airport . Colonel Plentl said it depends on how the facility is developed - the possibilities of developing an in- dustrial airport here are tremendous . Questions also arose as to compensation for those homeowners in close proximity to the airport property . It was pointed out that the Federal Government will par- ticipate in the cost of this compensation. Mr. Stewart stated that Phase II of the Master Plan should be completed and ready for the Town to hold a Public Hearing within 45 to 60 days . Mayor Hill stated that this hearing will be held just as soon as all material is available for same . Councilman Titus suggested that copies of the maps and charts exhibited tonight be provided for the Board and the public to see . Supervisor Raflo sug- gested that Henningson, Durham and Richardson secure a copy of the County 's Ordinance on decibels for their information. Mayor Hill thanked everyone in attendance . The meeting was ad- journed at 9: 20 P.M. A complete transcript of this meeting is on file on. tape in the Office of the Town Clerk . / ' ' AP /4/ ^/ Mayor - W k of the C cil Pro-Tem