by ROBERT WAUNCH

I’m an owner of one of the properties that abuts the airport, and I’d like to state some facts concerning the present “through the fence” situation.

Our airport would not exist had it not been for the Ferrises, who sold the land for $14,000 to the Port of Orcas in 1959.

The sales contract granted the Ferris’s “free” right of access to the airport for their properties. If sold, the properties would still have deeded right of access and could only be charged a fee as “all others” for like use.

Commercial aircraft pay landing fees. General aviation aircraft do not pay fees unless they stay overnight. This is standard practice for public airports. Aircraft pay fuel taxes to the feds, the state and the port just like you pay automobile fuel taxes to the feds and the state. Auto fuel taxes pay for highways and roads. Aviation fuel taxes pay for improvements of public airports.

Would you like to pay “access” fees to use the roads in addition to your fuel taxes? We, as property owners with deeded access rights, do not want to pay “access” fees to use the airport either – unless everyone pays the same fee – as stipulated in our deeds.

The FAA is demanding we pay an access fee equal to the annual airport tiedown fee. We use the airport for takeoffs and landings like any visiting aircraft that is not charged a fee. The port maintains the airport and provides other services. We property owners maintain our properties, pave our taxiways, and pay our taxes. We should not have to pay for space and services we do not use. The port receives a percentage of property taxes, commercial aircraft landing fees, land leases for hangars and tie-down spaces, fuel taxes and fees from other commercial operations. The port would have sufficient income to maintain and improve the airport if they would take their allowed tax rate as well as develop their property that has sat unused for decades.

The port has relied on the FAA to pay for improvements. When you receive FAA money you are obligated to follow their rules, restrictions and red tape for 20 years. The FAA dictates what you can and cannot do. I have dealt with the FAA for over 45 years and found them to be a typical government bureaucratic agency – totally inefficient and primarily interested in building their own empire. I do not know of any FAA program that has ever been successfully completed within years of the original estimated time (if at all) nor even remotely close to the original budget. Do you know any government program that is any different? The FAA requires facilities that are totally unnecessary for our small airport. We have a wonderful safe airport that could be maintained with local taxes and income from airport properties – if they were developed. Additionally, the mandated “improvements” the FAA requires must follow their specifications where everything costs a minimum five to 10 times the amount it would normally cost.

The port says if we elected to stay independent from the FAA we would have to repay the grants that have been received to date. Not true. The FAA has never required repayment of grant funds.

It’s appropriate we all pay taxes for our roads because we all benefit. Likewise, it is appropriate we all pay taxes for our public airport since we all benefit from its operations: commercial airline service, package service, business supplies, mail and emergency medical services to name a few.

We would be better off making our own decisions about our airport and not following the dictates of a bureaucratic government agency.

Robert Waunch lives on Orcas Island.