Park Township Airport

May 8, 2006

By JOHN CHARLES ROBBINS

Staff writer

There's a little airport in Park Township, surrounded by nice homes and big trees.

Some people love it. Some people hate it.

The Park Township Airport is one of those issues that move people to choose sides, and argue for their stand.

Keep the airport or shut it down.

The controversy is decades-old and remains a sensitive topic but the township's leaders are preparing to resolve the matter once and for all.

Before making a decision, the township board wants to hear from the experts and from the public.

What is the "highest and best public use" for the flat and open land hugged by Ottawa Beach Road and 152nd Avenue?

The township board has scheduled a special session, a Park Township Airport Forum, for 7 p.m. May 18 at the Beechwood Reformed Church, 895 Ottawa Beach Road.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Amanda Price, a township board member and chairperson of its airport subcommittee.

Price has been involved with the airport issue for years and acts as a liaison between the township board and Ottawa Aviation Inc., the company that runs the airport and leases the township-owned property.

The fate of the airport has launched many arguments, with homeowners near the airstrip calling for its closure citing safety concerns to pilots and others fighting to keep the airport alive.

Township voters in 1992 approved leasing the airport property to Ottawa Aviation for 20 years. A brouhaha ensued when in late 2000 Ottawa Aviation floated the idea of an expansion plan and asked for an extension of its lease to the year 2026.

Meetings, studies and committees followed. In the end, late 2002, the township amended outdated portions of the lease but did not extend its life.

The airport was off the radar screen but clear skies ahead were never assured.

At a township board retreat in December 2004, Price raised the issue.

"It was the elephant in the middle of the room it was there but we hadn't made a decision on it," said Price recently.

The board agreed to study the issue again. What has transpired since includes visits to other small airports in Michigan, meetings with land use planners, and talks with Ottawa Aviation about its desires for the future.

"The township is not going to get rid of that property. So we have to figure out what would be the best use," said Price.

The township has owned the 75-acre site since 1936. The land is also home to the township hall and a soccer field.

The May 18 guest list includes:

* Township attorney Dan Martin, who will review the legal aspects, from deed restrictions on the site to the lease.

* Jim Storey, who will talk about how the township's airport may fit with a proposed area-wide airport authority.

* Randy Coller, a state aeronautics official, who will discuss the future of smaller airports in Michigan.

* Roger Rushmeyer and Dave Siegers of Ottawa Aviation, who will detail how the company operates and the present state of the airport.

Also on hand will be planning consultant Larry Nix, who will listen and perhaps facilitate a discussion of the highest and best public use of the land, said Price.

"Do we look at it (the airport) as an asset to the township, or do we look at closing it down," said Price.

The township's growing residential base has played a role in the unending conflict over the small airstrip.

Resident Dan Melnyk, who opposed a lease extension back in 2001, said today his opinion of the airport has not changed.

"We really have to step back and find a better use for that property," he said, noting that removing the emotion from the debate would help greatly.

The little airport rose up at a time when the area and the world were very different places, said Melnyk, who moved to the township in 1992.

"I've talked with pilots ... I recognize how much they treasure it, and that they were there first. I appreciate their strong feelings and ties to it.

"Back then it made a lot of sense, however, a lot has happened since ... the building (boom) has changed the township substantially," Melnyk said.

Township resident Jim Seymour remains a strong advocate for the airport and its future.

"I consider it a jewel and an asset in two ways. Number one, it provides a great opportunity for people who want to fly, a small safe airport designed around single-engine planes," said Seymour, who's lived in the township since 1984.

"Secondly, I would love to see it built up as an air park. What a great opportunity to get kids involved ... to encourage them in math and science ... it's already there we need to tap it and use it," Seymour said.

Contact John Charles Robbins at (616) 546-4269 or john.robbins@hollandsentinel.com.