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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 01281986 - 2.7 THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS OF CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA Adopted this Order on January 28, 1986 , by the following vote: AYES : Supervisors Fanden, Schroder, McPeak, Torlakson, Powers NOES: None ABSENT : None ABSTAIN: None -------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------- SUBJECT: Air Carrier Service and Related Issues at Buchanan Field Airport The Board received a letter dated January 15 , 1986 , from Barry R. Basse, Chairman, Aviation Advisory Committee (AAC) , advising that the Committee has reviewed the circumstances surrounding the Sun Valley Mall accident. He commented on the need for safe, econo- mical and reliable air carrier service for Contra Costa County and transmitted the observations and recommendations of the AAC relative to the application of Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) . Mr. Basse appeared before the Board and spoke on the recommendations of the Committee. Harry Bowers, Concord Chamber of Commerce, expressed support for the recommendations of the Aviation Advisory Committee. He suggested a review of violations of existing air regulations at Buchanan Field Airport and the imposition of more severe penalties. Ron Sorenson, Fixed Base Operator and member of the AAC, urged the Board to expedite the review process so that PSA commuter service can be implemented. Evelyn Munn, representing Citizens for a Better Walnut Creek, expressed support for the preparation of an environmental impact report that would also address safety issues and noise levels. She expressed reservations with allowing commercial aircraft at Buchanan Airport. Zach Cowan, representing Citizens for Responsible Use of Buchanan Field, commented on the need for an access study at the Airport. He expressed concern that the proposed PSA lease may not adequately address noise control. Ed Dimmick, 1251 Sheppard Court, Walnut Creek, spoke on the relationship of flying an airplane to minimize noise and flying an airplane to minimize fuel consumption. Byron Campbell, representing Citizens for Responsible Use of Buchanan Field, expressed disagreement with the recommendations of the Aviation Advisory Committee. There being no further comments from the public, the Board ACKNOWLEDGED receipt of the report from the Aviation Advisory Committee. Board members then considered the report of the County Administrator, Director of Community Development, and the Public Works Director recommending the hiring of two consultants to con- duct specialized studies at Buchanan Field Airport. I hereby certify that this is ra trus and correct co^y of cc: Public Works Director an action taken and entered on the minutes o! the Airport Manager Board of Supervisors on the date shown. Aviation Advisory Committee ATTESTED: aP Director, Community Development PHIL S TCHELOs, ClArk of the Soard of Supervisors and County Administrator BY - Q s"0' �� , Deputy t TO- BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FROM: Phil Batchelor, County Administrator t.lo lira Anthony A. Dehaesus, Directorho Comm pity Developm �Jl� 'l Michael Walford, Director of b 'c Works Costa DATE' January 28, 1986 . Coi t SUBJECT: Information Relative to PSA Service SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS Having received new information from the Aviation Advisory Committee for Buchanan Field advising as to the EIR prepared on Buchanan Field in 1983, previ- ous commuter service to the airport, special studies dor»on this issue, and ad- ditional approaches to consider safety issues at the airport, the following ap- proach is recommended by staff to provide new information relative to PSA ser- vice at Buchanan Field. 1. Authorize the hiring of a consultant to undertake an independent risk anal- ysis study on the safety aspects of Buchanan Field. The study would cover the following subject areas. - A review of Buchanan Field's safety record. - A comparison of Buchanan Field to other similar sized airports in terms of traffic operations and location with respect to their safety. - A review of air traffic volumes over the last decade. - An review of recent County actions undertaken regarding pilot safety. - A review of actions taken by Board of Supervisors to ensure safe- ty at Buchanan Field. - An analysis of safety factors in the mix of general aviation and com- mercial commuter service. - A comparison of past commuter services at Buchanan Field to the pro- posed PSA 4 daily flights with respect to volume, noise, traffic pat- terns, passengers, safety, size of planes, maneuverability and air emissions. - A review of PSA's safety record and practices in comparison to other commuter services. - A review of measures employed by other airports to ensure safety with mix of general aviation and commercial commuter service. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: _ YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE OTHER SIGNATURE(S): V ACTION OF BOARD ON January 28 , 1986 APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED X OTHER X In addition to approving the aforesaid recommendations , the Board FIXED February 4 , 1986 , at 4 p.m. in its Chambers to receive comments from the public on the scope of the specialized studies as noted above . VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE XXJNANIMOUS (ABSENT - "-- AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES' NOES. AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. cc: Public Works Director ATTESTED January 28, 1986 Interested Parties Airport Manager PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF .County Counsel SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR Community Development Director County Administrator M382/7=83 BY ; ,DEPUTY Information Relative to PSA Service Page 2 January 28, 1986 - A review of the experience and data from FAA and other airports to determine whether or not there is any evidence that suggests the commercial commuter service would significantly affect the safety at Buchanan Field, either negatively or positively. 2. Authorize the hiring of a consultant to analyze several additional consid- erations that affect scheduled commuter service to Buchanan Field, includ- ing the following subject areas. - A review of the environmental impacts, mitigation measures, and land use considerations identified in the 1983 Buchanan Field EIR. - A review of the impact difference, if any, between this commuter ser- vice proposal and the previous West Air Airline service to Buchanan Field. - A review of the noise impacts based on the October, 1985 noise stud- ies. - An analysis of the fire protection and emergency response capa- bilities at the airport. - A review of the relationship to regional air transportation plans. 3. Schedule public forums to solicit public input on the results of the afore- mentioned studies and to insure that the public is aware of the results. 4. Send copies of this Board Order to the cities of Pleasant Hill and Concord, FAA, and other parties that have expressed an interest in this matter. 5. Upon receiving the aforementioned consultant study results, th*atter will be placed on the Board agenda for determination of the subsequent coarse of action. FINANCIAL D PACT The cost of the studies suggested in this report have not been determined at this time but should not exceed $40,000. PSA shall be responsible to provide funds to the County to cover the costs of the studies referenced in this report. There will be additional staff costs from the Public Works, Community Develop- ment, County Counsel and County Administrator Offices to review and supervise the data preparation and collection effort. These costs would be covered from the Department budgets. BACKGROUND/JUSTIFICATION On January 14, 1986, the Board of Supervisors received a letter from the Avia- tion Advisory Committee for Buchanan Field indicating their views as to the ap- propriate methods for consideration of the proposed PSA lease with the County which would allow for scheduled airline service at the airport. Numerous other individuals and agencies have suggested alternative methods to develop the need- ed information for the Board to come to a thoughtful and appropriate decision in this matter. Both opponents and proponents have suggested that additional stud- ies are required to resolve the safety and impact issues surrounding this pro- posed lease. Based on these requests, the desire to resolve this issue in a reasonable time frame, and the need for a collection of comprehensive informa- tion and an analysis program on this issue, staff recommends the following ap- proach: STUDY OBJECTIVES (1) Conduct a thorough analysis and public review of all potential environmen- tal impacts, safety implications and operations considerations presented by the proposed 4 daily PSA commuter flights. (2) Provide information to the public and ensure an open hearing process for as much public input as is possible. (3) Comply with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) . n Information Relative to PSA Service Page 3 January 28, 1986 SCOPE OF REQUIRED STUDIES The following studies must be prepared and analyzed in advance of the Board of Supervisors consideration of the proposed PSA commuter service and in determin- ing CEQA compliance on this issue. o An independent risk analysis study on the safety aspects of the Buchanan Field Airport needs to be prepared by consultants with specialized exper- tise in these matters. The study needs to cover: - A review of Buchanan Field's Airport safety record. - A comparison of Buchanan Field to other similar sized airports in terms of traffic operations and location with respect to their safety. - A review of air traffic volumes over the last decade. - A review of actions taken by Board of Supervisors to ensure safe- ty at Buchanan Field, and an overview of recent actions regarding pi- lot safety. - An analysis of safety factors in the mix of general aviation and com- mercial commuter service: what dates exist to examine safety regard- ing mix of traffic; at what point of traffic mix would safety be im- pacted; would 4 PSA daily flights decrease safety? would 4 PSA daily flights increase safety over past commuter services? - A comparison of past commuter services at Buchanan Field to the pro- posed PSA 4 daily flights with respect to volume, noise, traffic pat- terns, passengers., safety, size of planes, maneuverability and air emissions. - A review of PSA's safety record and practices in comparison to other commuter services. - A review of measures employed by other airports to ensure safety •with mix of general aviation and commercial commuter service. - A review of the experience and data from FAA and other airports to determine whether there is any evidence that suggests the commer- cial commuter service would significantly affect the safety at Buchanan Field, either negatively or positively. o A review of the environmental impacts, mitigation measures and land use considerations identified in the 1983 Buchanan Field EIR. The findings of that EIR need to be related to the proposed PSA lease agreement to deter- mine what factors, if any, have changed since that EIR was certified. One significant aspect of this review to determine what impacts on traffic and parking the proposed PSA service of 28 flights weekly (4 daily) have on the current situation. o A review of the impact difference, if any, between this commuter service proposal and the previous West Air Airline service to Buchanan Field. o A review of the noise impacts based on the October, 1985 noise studies. o An analysis of the fire protection and emergency response capabilities at the airport. 0 A review of the relationship to regional air transportation plans.