The aerial mapping portion of the off-site obstruction removal project at the Albert S. Nader Regional Airport has been completed, and the city is in the middle of conducting outreach to landowners to discuss the data and its impact on their properties.
The project relates to the removal of “vegetative obstacles” obstructing the air space around the airport, according to Daily Star archives. Acquisitions or avigation easements would allow the airport to remove this vegetation from off-airport properties impacting the airspace.
Airport Commission Chairperson Justin Osterhoudt said Tuesday, May 12 that the aerial mapping identified trees that will need to be removed and was “above the scope of the initial project.”
“What that is doing is that is giving both the city and the landowners some additional information to facilitate the process of acquiring the avigation easement,” Osterhoudt said.
He said Passero Associates, the city’s engineer for the project, has worked to compile that data throughout the past few months. Osterhoudt said city leadership will discuss the additional information directly with the landowners.
“Really, they are the ones who need to be in the loop first before anything is discussed at any public meetings, be it Airport Commission, Common Council or anything of that nature, the city leadership has to have a discussion with the landowners first,” Osterhoudt said.
Mayor Dan Buttermann sent a letter to landowners with information regarding the data collected through the mapping was on its way, he added.
City Administrator Greg Mattice said at the Tuesday, May 5 Common Council meeting that Buttermann plans to send a followup letter inviting them to meet with the city directly and review how their property would be affected. He likely will send a third letter inviting all of them to a larger, collective meeting to review the data.
Osterhoudt said to his knowledge, city leadership is in “that communication phase” with landowners.
“You have to communicate with the landowners individually and feel out what their level of comfort with sharing this information is,” Osterhoudt said.
He said if the landowners would like to meet with the commission or council, it could be set up at a later point.
Passero will facilitate the next step of the project, which is to negotiate an easement with the landowners. Osterhoudt said “the timeline follows the process,” and as Passero works within the process, the city will continue to make steps forward on the project.
Property owners pushed back against the project at several local meetings in the fall, expressing concerns about clear cutting of the trees on their property to remove obstructions, according to Daily Star archives.
Mattice said at the council meeting he believed Buttermann would share the data collected with the Common Council after the landowners have had an opportunity to meet with the city, so they could review it first.
Appraisals of the property can be done without physically visiting the site, Mattice added, and are just about complete.