Public Meeting Thursday Dec 6, 5 pm, Convention Center

Good afternoon,

Two weeks ago we convened meetings in Anchorage and Kodiak to talk about the Draft EIS for proposed runway safety area improvements at Kodiak Airport. I’d like to thank those of you who participated. We had some good discussions, and I really appreciate all of the constructive feedback.  We’ll do our best to respond fully to your questions and comments.

If you were unable to attend, or are just interested in reviewing some of the information covered during those meetings, I’ve had the PowerPoint presentation we used posted on the project website at  http://www.kodiakairporteis.com/documents/documents.htm. On that page, scroll down to “Project Reference Documents” and the presentation, in PDF form, is titled “Draft EIS Stakeholder Meetings November 2012.”

I’d also like to remind you that we have scheduled another round of consultations and meetings with tribes, agencies, and other stakeholders next week in Kodiak. If you would like us to meet with you or others in your organization, and haven’t already been contacted, please let me know and we’ll get in touch right away.

There are two events I just know you want to make sure are on your calendar. First, the public hearing for the Draft EIS will be Thursday night, December 6, at the Kodiak Convention Center. An open house with workshop stations will kick things off at 5:00 pm, and the formal hearing for public testimony will begin at 6:00 pm. Secondly, December 18 is the deadline for FAA to receive your comments on the Draft EIS. You can get those to me one of two ways, by 1) mail, to the address below or 2) e-mail, to my address at Leslie.Grey@faa.org<mailto:Leslie.Grey@faa.org>

Thanks, and see you soon!  Leslie

Leslie A. Grey
Environmental Protection Specialist
FAA - Alaskan Region, Airports Division
907-271-5453

Draft Preferred Alternatives – Kodiak Airport DEIS

The preferred alternatives for both runways look pretty good; the FAA seems to have heard the concerns of Kodiak residents in determining their choices.  We urge you to read through the EIS and comment in favor of these preferred alternatives.
Copies of the Draft EIS are now on shelves and on-line for review at the following locations:

 *   Federal Aviation Administration, Airports Division, 222 W. 7th Avenue #14, Anchorage, AK 99513-7504
 *   A. Holmes Memorial Library, 319 Lower Mill Bay Road, Kodiak, AK 99615
 *   On the website at:  www.kodiakairporteis.com
 
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Draft Preferred Alternatives – Kodiak Airport DEIS

Of the alternatives described above, the FAA has identified a preferred RSA-improvement alternative for runways 07/25 and 18/36. These Preferred Alternatives are illustrated in Figure 3 (see page 2). The Preferred Alternatives were selected based upon their ability to meet the project purpose and need while minimizing the anticipated environmental impacts.

For Runway 07/25, Alternative 2 was chosen as the Preferred Alternative because it would require the smallest fill footprint, therefore minimizing the environmental impacts compared to Alternative 3.

For Runway 18/36, Alternative 7 was chosen because it represented the only alternative that avoided placing fill in the sensitive Buskin River area and associated freshwater plume, which was identified as an important resource and a major concern for both the community and relevant agencies. Runway 18/36 Alternative 7 also minimizes fill toward the Buskin River State Recreation site. The best available information was used in identifying these Preferred Alternatives.