Sawyer County Board reviews airport master-plan development alternative amid town concerns

Consultants and county staff presented a draft development alternative for the Sawyer County airport master plan to the county board, including a proposal to move the primary runway east to increase separation from landside development and create space for hangar and industrial development.

The proposal was framed as a planning-level alternative that combines public input with technical data; staff emphasized the plan is long-range and not a guaranteed project, with runway relocation described as a 10-year-plus possibility. "Moving the runway east — the primary runway — will get it further away from the landside developments where the terminal is right now," a consultant said during the presentation.

The presentation drew extensive public and board questions about traffic and safety. Residents and one board member asked whether traffic-counts have been done for the possible closure of Airport Road and warned that diverting traffic to nearby Riverside Road could create a safety hazard for residents and recreational users. A resident asked for a traffic study before the board commits to any route changes.

Town of Hayward leaders told the board they want three items before the master plan proceeds to projects: (1) a reversal or review of a 2019 rezoning of certain airport land back to residential, (2) an economic-impact analysis showing benefits to the county, and (3) a "no-development" cost option that estimates the fiscal consequences if the county ceased airport operations. Staff replied that federal grants have encumbered airport land and assets; abandoning the airport could obligate repayment to the federal government and create lease or litigation exposure with hangar owners.

Board members and staff said the county is expecting a statewide economic-impact report for airports and that the county can ask the FAA and the Wisconsin DOT for additional fiscal analysis. Several board members urged clearer public messaging to distinguish a planning "development alternative" from an actionable construction project and asked staff to bring back an economic-impact estimate and traffic study results before advancing the plan.

The board also approved (by motion and roll-call vote) a short closed-session item later in the meeting to discuss matters handled in closed session, and staff said an extension of the airport management contract with H Aviation will be presented at a future meeting for formal action.

The board did not adopt the development alternative as a final project at the meeting; staff said next steps are to collect state economic data, respond to town requests, and return with additional analysis and any proposed contract changes for the airport manager.