HomeMy WebLinkAbout950128.tiffNolrsinger Manufacturing Co., Inc.
500 Sixth Avenue - P.O. Box 488
Greeley, Colorado 80632
303-352-0463 - 800-525-8922
Fax 303-352-3017
December 31, 1994
Mr. Dale Hall, Chairman
Greeley/Weld County Municipal Airport Authority
600 Crosier Avenue
Greeley, CO 80631
Dear Mr. Hall:
q
As you know, I am a lifetime resident of Greeley and have
spent my entire career engaged in agricultural production, ag-
manufacturing, ranching and cattle feeding. I am the President
of Noffsinger Manufacturing Co., Inc., a family owned company
which has operated primarily in the Greeley and Weld County area,
bµt also in Jackson County, Colorado, Center, Colorado, and
Hermiston, Oregon, for over 70 years. The center of our farming
operation is east of Greeley, adjacent to the Greeley/Weld County
Municipal Airport and along Bliss Road.
My historical relationship with the airport and the
agricultural community has provided me with a very unique
perspective on the airport expansion proposal and the proposed
option of closing Bliss Road, also known as Weld County Rod 62,
as well as the next two county roads to the north (64 and 64-
1/2).
My family and I lived on Bliss Road for over 12 years
between 1976 and 1988. My wife and I lived at the east end of
Bliss Road in 1971 and 1972. Our home in the late seventies and
early eighties backed up to the airport property and adjacent to
the main runway 09/27. Some of our agricultural related
activities in this area prior to, during and since living there
have included:
Raising and training Registered Quarter Horses
Raising registered cattle
Operating over 2500 acres of prime irrigated farm land in
this area
Designing, constructing, owning and managing one of the
first and largest bulk onion storage and processing
facilities ever built. It is located on Bliss Road.
950128
PrPop°7
Mr. Dale Hall
December 31, 1994
Page 2
We are also one of the larger and older continual operators
on the Greeley/Weld County Municipal Airport, having leased a
minimum of one and as many as three hangars continually since
1960. Currently we own a corporate hanger for our cabin -class
twin engine aircraft and lease a hangar for our high performance
single -engine aircraft. My father was, and my brother and I are
licensed pilots. We also employ commercial pilots.
I began my flight instruction at Emery Aviation College in
1967. It was located at our airport (GXY) and was one of the
largest training schools in the U.S.>, and I was one of their
first students. Serving six years as a member of the 138th
Colorado Air National Guard Squadron located on the airport, and
my training by the United States Air Force in radar operation in
air traffic control and interception and weather radar, has given
me a further and perhaps deeper understanding of aviation in
general. My company and personal travel has taken me to well
over 100 airports; most of them general aviation. I have always
been interested in them and have always asked questions regarding
operations, ownership, politics and funding of these general
aviation airports.
Since 1971, I have attended airport board meetings and have
actively observed, studied, and participated in the airport
activities both pro and con. I have a deep love, respect and
appreciation for our airport, and have tried to help protect,
preserve and improve it from an economic and social perspective
with the past, present and future of our area in mind; and how
our airport at its current location fits into our future. Its
compatibility with and impact on its surroundings are of concern
and importance to me.
Our airport is, and should be an important part of our
community. However, it should be only a part of and consistent
with the services and amenities in the community. It should be
an asset closely understood by its owners, with full knowledge
and understanding of the actual facts and real figures of any
proposed projects.
Decisions need to be made regarding our airport, as well as
and in conjunction with other community support items such as our
civic centers, parks and recreation, convention centers, sewer
and storm drainage, roads and bridges, mass transit both urban
and rural, rail bus, etc.
I have anxiously awaited the presentation of the last few
proposed master plan drafts, only to find them too grand in
scale, too luxurious, too expensive, and out of character for us;
but most importantly unnecessary for us to be providing and too
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Mr. Dale Hall
December 31, 1994
Page 3
disruptive to the neighboring agricultural environments. These
plans have simply not been economically or socially effective.
The proposed new runway is not the ideal direction from a
design standpoint, but is acceptable to the FAA. I must commend
the Weld County Commissioners of the late seventies for the great
effort made by them to understand all aspects of the 1978 Master
Plan and who approved part of it. If the current east/west
runway would have been approved for just a little further
lengthening to the west, we would not be (or should not be in my
opinion) going through the current exercises. The 1978 expansion
has served us well and is the primary reason we have an excellent
nearly debt free facility. Had we completed the rest of the
plan, the new plan tells us we would have been wrong! The
proposed new north/south runway is no wider than the current
runway and contrary to the beliefs of some local supporters will
not handle larger or heavier aircraft than our current main
runway. In my opinion, by building the proposed new runway we
will only be offering an increased safety margin to about 3% or
less of the aircraft currently flying into our airport anyway,
perhaps in the hopes of selling them a few gallons of jet fuel.
Should our local governments even be in the fixed -base -operation
business? What is the obligation of the city and county to
provide facilities for private or semi-public businesses to
locate and operate on even if there is a reasonable demand and
even the hint of some sound economic justification?
Many local city and county residents feel the new proposed
plan discriminates against farmers and existing agricultural
operations in favor of non-agricultural related businesses and
professions such as bankers, realtors, insurance salesmen,
accountants, retail establishments, politicians, and other
businesses and organizations large and small. The proposed new
plan makes little or no attempt to minimize the negative impact
on surrounding neighbors; something it is supposed to do
according to FAA guidelines. It is supposed to go to great
measures and to make every effort possible accordingly. "Our
urban society lacks appreciation of the world's most efficient
and productive agricultural system and its role as the foundation
that this country is built upon." (Greg and Karen Marrs; dairy
cattle and farming family from Ft. Lupton, CO; Greeley Tribune).
The road traffic count taken on Bliss Road is an inaccurate
count due to the date and hours taken. For the purpose of the
environmental impact, I feel a number 3 to 4 times greater is
more accurate. Also, I feel the average miles traveled out of
the way figure used in the public hearings is understated by at
least 50%. If you plug in these numbers to the examples used in
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Robert W. Noffsinger,
Mr. Dale Hall
December 31, 1994
Page 4
the public hearing to propose closing roads, it is easy to see
that at least one underpass is a must, if the project proposal is
successful.
I have read your letter form Mr. H. Richard Farr, regarding
his opinion on the airport expansion and the option of closing
Bliss Road. I cannot help but wonder if any of the employees or
owners, delivery truck drivers, or any of the people involved int
he 22,600 annual vehicle operations into and out of Farr Feeders
would agree with him.
The Greeley/Weld County Airport should lengthen its main
east/west runway as much as possible and be proud to offer this
facility to the rest of the world! I see no increased air
traffic over the city by doing this.
Our airport already has nearly all the frills a general
aviation airport can have. We have a VOR w/DME nearby, an
instrument landing system, an automatic weather observation
station, visual approach slope indicator lights and runway
lights, runway end identifier lights, precision approach path
identifier, automatic direction finding capability to the
airport, an observation tower, and more. The citizens and
taxpayers of Greeley and Weld County should be most proud of our
airport.
Please include these comments in the EIA final report.
Thank you.
Best Regards,
to
cc: Mayor and City Council of Greeley
Weld County Commissioners
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