Melberg: Allow more citizen input on Aspen airport

The Pitkin County Commission is taking the extraordinary step to silence the will of the people with their own ballot question regarding the Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE). They are also in a position to jeopardize the county’s ability to financially operate the fixed-base operator by granting a 30-year lease to Atlantic Aviation prior to the November election. The BOCC should extend the lease for one year versus granting a 30-year lease. The one year lease extension would allow the BOCC to actually examine the feasibility of Amory Lovins’ analysis which they have so far dismissed out of hand. We, the people should be able to have as many cards in our deck to go up against the FAA in the likely event the voters pass the ballot question generated by Our Airport Our Vote, a grassroots citizen group.

The Pitkin County Home Rule Charter was created to allow more citizen input on how we want to be governed. It is noteworthy this BOCC has taken a stance against the will of the people by proposing a confusing and competing ballot question on the airport. Many of us have lived through previous BOCC who have supported the citizens of Pitkin County against the EPA (Smuggler Mountain Superfund fiasco) and of course, the FAA during the 1990s. In both instances the citizens and county/city government bonded together to win those David versus Goliath battles. The present BOCC is disappointing to say the least by not adhering to the underlying philosophy of the Home Rule Charter by not supporting the citizens’ ballot question. If the BOCC was truly interested in moving ahead on the airport’s runway their ballot question would simply ask the voters if they approve of keeping the runway in its present alignment OR ask the voters to approve moving and widening the runway according to the Airport Layout Plan.

Tom Melberg

Woody Creek