Dozens rally outside port meeting, raising concerns about Olympia Regional Airport
About 60 people rallied outside Monday’s Port of Olympia commission meeting, then took their concerns about Olympia Regional Airport directly to the commissioners.
The rally was organized by a group that calls itself Stop Olympia Airport Growth. Sixteen people spoke during public comment, all but one raising concerns about the possibility of more air traffic, noise and air pollution at the existing airport near Tumwater.
“We are concerned about the changes and the potential degradation of our quality of life,” said resident Carla Wulfsberg.
The group issued a news release prior to the gathering and port officials were quick to dispute some of their claims.
So, what exactly is happening at the airport?
Olympia Regional Airport, which the port has operated since 1963, is due for an updated master plan, an airport study that describes short-, medium- and long-term development plans to meet aviation demand. The Federal Aviation Administration recommends the airport master plan be updated every 5-10 years.
The last update was in 2013; the current update began in 2021 and continues today, according to port officials. The current master plan process and the 2013 update can be found on the port’s website.
One area of concern raised by residents but disputed by the port is the claim that there will be an average of 630 “operations” a day at the airport. An operation is considered either a take off or a landing.
The 2013 master plan update does make reference to the potential for 230,000 operations a year at the airport, which when spread over 365 days, works out to 630 operations a day. However, the 2021 master plan update makes no such forecast.
“The forecast estimates that aircraft traffic will increase over the planning period by 0.57 percent annually,” the 2021 master plan update reads. “For comparison, 2020 had 70,466 operations and the airport is forecast to have 84,665 operations by 2040. This results in a forecast average increase of 39 operations per day over the planning period.”
Spread over a year, the totals look like this: 193 operations a day in 2020, rising to 232 in 2040.
Although the airport offers general aviation airport services, it does not currently have commercial air service. The last such service, provided by Big Sky Airlines, exited the area in 2004.
Still, beyond the numbers, residents at the meeting raised some general concerns about the airport, such as noise — particularly noise generated by helicopters.
Resident Kim Murillo said the area doesn’t need the noise, noise pollution or the helicopters, saying it sometimes feels like a war zone.
“Two summers ago I did live in a war zone,” she said of the increased air traffic over Olympia during the protests that followed the death of George Floyd.
Resident Charlotte Persons, a member of Stop Olympia Airport Growth, told the commission to expect to continue to hear from them.
“This is not an isolated event and the passion you hear is going to continue,” she said, adding that they pay taxes, they vote and they are considering legal action.
“You need to be careful about these decisions,” she said.
Deborah Pattin, a member of the port’s citizen advisory committee, defended the airport, saying that if people are concerned about helicopters, that’s a problem for the Department of Defense and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which fly maneuvers over the area, not Olympia Regional Airport.
So when is the port going to adopt the current airport master plan update? The exact timing was not known Monday. The FAA has to approve it first, then it comes before the commission for adoption, spokeswoman Joy Johnston said.
Have more questions? The port has scheduled a public meeting with Airport Manager Warren Hendrickson for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Jan. 18 at the port’s Olympics Room, 606 Columbia St. NW in Percival Plaza. The meeting also can be watched on Zoom.
The port also is still accepting public comment on the 2021 airport master plan update. Send comments to: AMPUpdate@portolympia.com.
This story was originally published January 10, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
