Safety plan to require relocation of hangars

The relocation is expected to take 20 years.
By ED RUNYAN
VINDICATOR TRUMBULL STAFF
VIENNA -- A consultant to the Western Reserve Port Authority released details of what officials describe as the best of five options for relocating parts of the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport to improve safety.
At the same time, a resident told port authority members Wednesday that he thinks funds should be sought to study safety issues involving Mathews High School, which he thinks is threatened by low-flying military aircraft.
Duane L. Johnson, senior project manager with R.W. Armstrong of Cleveland, said his company and port authority members have agreed on a plan that would involve relocation of all hangars at the airport from near the terminal to the south end of the airport property.
Master plan
The relocation, which would take place over about 20 years, is part of the master plan R.W. Armstrong is preparing for the airport. The company has been reporting to the port authority on different phases of the master plan since last year and is expected to complete work by August.
Johnson said the hangars, such as the five numbered ones, the private ones owned by the Cafaro Corp. and Alpha Air, and two T-hangars used by smaller aircraft, would be moved to the new area, which would be served by a new access road off state Route 193.
Another option would be to relocate runway 5-23 so that the hangars are not so much in line with the flight pattern, but that idea was considered less workable than relocating the hangars, Johnson said.
The runway is used for the military's C-130 aircraft, as well as smaller general aviation aircraft, Johnson said.
The airport needs to address the safety issue, Johnson said, because the FAA will not allow it to make pavement changes to the runway until it has addressed the issue by segregating the terminal and the hangars.
No funding yet
Johnson and Steve Bowser, director of aviation at the airport, said they don't know yet where funding for the work will come from.
Larry Norton, whose business interests include the Midway mobile home park and Norton Tire Co., both of Vienna, told port authority members he would like to see someone acquire grants through the Department of Defense Office of Economic Adjustment that would study safety and planning issues around the airport.
Norton said that if a study were done before Mathews High School, on Warren-Sharon Road, needs to be replaced, plans could be made so the new school would be built away from the C-130 flight path. He said the school is on the state's list of buildings needing to be replaced.
Bowser said the school's location is not considered a safety issue because studies have never identified the school as being at risk. He agreed with Norton that in some states communities have taken a very proactive approach to moving facilities such as schools away from the edge of airport properties.
Port authority member Mike Harshman said the authority had intended to take steps to formalize an agreement between the port authority and Regional Chamber to work together on future economic development projects.
Lacked quorum
But no action was taken at the meeting because it lacked a quorum. Members Don L. Hanni Jr., Thomas W. Petrarca, Clarence R. Smith and John Masternick were unexpectedly absent. Chairman Joseph Maxin was in court and excused from the meeting, Harshman said. Harshman, Scott Lynn and Patrick Pellin attended.
runyan@vindy.com