Regional Affairs

Truckee loses airport board majority

The three new members of the Truckee-Tahoe Airport District elected to the five-member board in November are members of a group that wants to limit growth of the Truckee-Tahoe Airport. Their candidacy was supported by the Community Airport Restoration Effort (CARE) that had raised concerns about land-use and noise related to the airport. Their victory came after an emotional and heavily funded fight. Spending by opponents and proponents totaled more than $100,000. AOPA had weighed in on the issues with a series of newspaper ads educating the voters about the value of the airport. "We don't know what it means for the airport yet, because we have seen no specific proposals from the CARE candidates," said Roger Cohen, AOPA vice president of regional affairs. "But in terms of long-term viability, the airport has received numerous federal airport grants, and, therefore, the district is obligated to operate the airport for at least 20 years. They also have grants for land acquisition, and those grants obligate the district to use that land as an airport in perpetuity."

January 7, 2005