Safety Harbor Mayor Pam Corbino still opposes the planned expansion, but she said she wants to work with the county on issues such as noise and heavy air traffic.
By MEGAN SCOTT
Published November 18, 2003
SAFETY HARBOR - It was expected to be a showdown between Mayor Pam Corbino and county Administrator Steve Spratt.
But Corbino set a calm tone early on as the Safety Harbor Commission prepared to hear about the proposed expansion of St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport.
"We've had two emotional workshops," Corbino said. "The county has worked to eliminate some of those thoughts. It's time to work with the county and find some solutions."
City Commission members and a packed chamber listened patiently Monday night as Spratt and Thomas Jewsbury, interim airport director, briefed them on the airport master plan, a 20-year guide to the proposed $223-million expansion.
The County Commission is expected to vote on the plan sometime in the first half of next year. In the meantime, the county has hired John F. Brown Co. in Miami to study the expansion and provide a cost-benefit analysis.
Corbino has been an outspoken critic of the plan. She has proposed defining the hours of operation for arriving and departing flights, scheduling no flights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., and making noise abatement procedures mandatory for all aircraft.
Safety Harbor is about 7 miles from the airport and is under the flight path of most arriving airplanes.
"One of the main things that concerns me is the altitude," Corbino said. "I notice most of the planes coming directly over Safety Harbor are 1,000 feet. The altitude is going to have to be addressed."
Commissioners see the expansion as an investment that could bring thousands of new jobs and $780-million a year to Pinellas County.
Corbino also questioned the $17.5-million runway extension project, which would allow for larger airplanes and international flights.
The extension was approved in 2001 and is scheduled to be complete by late 2005 or 2006. County commissioners still must approve the design and permitting agreement, as well as the construction contract.
"Do we really need international air traffic if we're losing hotel rooms?" she asked.
County officials demonstrated a Web site Monday that allows residents to track airplanes and report noise problems. The airport is one of 11 in the country that has the technology.
Staffers also told commissioners they are waiting to hear back from federal officials about using GPS technology to allow aircraft to follow noise abatement procedures at night and during inclement weather.
Commissioners compared the noise problem at St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport to that of Tampa International Airport. TIA has better noise abatement procedures, commissioners said.
"On a daily basis, I have the opportunity to go across the Bayside Bridge," Commissioner Keith Zayac said. "When I see an ATA flight take off during good weather, they do tend to follow the noise abatement procedures. What is the process that we, Pinellas County, can go through to make that mandatory?"
That seemed to be the key question. And county officials are working to find an answer.
Noise is what is bothering Marea Dorian the most. Dorian is vice president of the Del Oro Groves Homeowners Association.
"Nine aircraft within one hour went over our house," Dorian said. "That's ridiculous. They always come directly over my house. Who would want to open their windows?"
Corbino said she thought the discussion went well. She is still planning, however, to move forward with a resolution opposing the expansion. A draft of the document is ready, and commissioners may take it up at their Dec. 1 meeting.
"It didn't change my mind," Corbino said about the presentation. "I think we have to keep the doors of communication open. It always helps to get them to talk about it, so the issue doesn't fade away."
