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Alfalfa County discussion: LED airfield lighting, staffing hours and zoning safety near runway
Summary
Officials and community participants debated whether airfield LED lights should remain on overnight or be power-controlled, discussed staffing hours and lunch coverage, and voiced safety and zoning concerns about buildings and an elementary school near the airport traffic pattern.
Alfalfa County meeting participants discussed airfield LED lighting controls and community safety concerns tied to zoning and nearby schools.
Speaker 4 described LED lighting used at airports of similar size and said lights can be power-controlled: ‘‘it is power controlled available by 3 clicks as low as that’s where it starts, 5 clicks medium, and 7 clicks size,’’ and asked whether members preferred lights on all night or to use control settings, noting the group did not yet have cost information to guide a decision. Speaker 4 suggested that if the cost was low the board could opt to leave lights on; otherwise power control was an option.
The meeting also covered staffing and hours. Speaker 3 asked why the airport would not ‘‘shut down for lunch,’’ and Speaker 4 replied that it was not planned for this week and that schedules could be managed to keep someone on site during required hours.
Community safety and zoning were prominent. Speaker 5 raised questions about zoning and height limits for buildings and towers near runways and pointed to past incidents: ‘‘there’s been at least, in my lifetime, 12 airplanes that didn’t get passed where the Flint School is’’ and asked whether height limits exist for buildings and antennas. Speaker 3 said the commission had to stop construction on property that ‘‘they sold some property they shouldn't have sold’’ after the owner started building; the commission intervened for safety. Speaker 4 said current planning is in an early stage but promised the board would provide safety and approach information to planners to explain why development should or should not occur in specific locations.
There were no formal votes recorded on lighting policy, staffing hours, or zoning during the meeting. The discussion ended with a commitment from the board to provide planners with approach and safety data and to remain vigilant about development near airport operations.
