RESIDENTS…. SO WHAT REALLY HAPPENED.

Shalersville Township citizens don’t want the traffic and noise that an expanded Portage County Airport might bring. BUT OFFICIALS CONTEND IT MIGHT BE THE ONLY WAY TO ENSURE JOBS IN THE AREA – BY BRINGING MORE INDUSTRIAL TRAFFIC???? TRANSPORT? WHAT?

And, while the board of the airport…(get it?)

Residence of Shalersville Township attended a question and answer session in Shalersville Town Hall regarding talk of Portage County Airport expanding Wednesday night.

Residence RESIDENTS wrote down questions for airport board members to answer on note cards. Each question was read aloud (AS OPPOSED TO SOFTLY??) (WAS READ AND ANSWERED BY BOARD MEMBERS.) and then was answered by the board. Some of the questions mentioned were: Will the board be able to pay back the county, how did the board come up with statistics, will property tax go down, and has there been any discussion of restricted flight times?

(GOOD QUESTIONS…PERHAPS IT WOULD BE GOOD TO HAVE DASH PARAGRAPHS… AND ALSO – WHY DO THEY OWE? WHAT IS THE CONFLICT POINT? THE EXPANSION. IT’S NOT AS CLEAR AS IT IS – AND ESPECIALLY, WHAT DO THE COMMISSIONERS SAY?)

After being asked about the $400,000 the airport owes the county that (THIS DOESN’T READ RIGHT, RYAN. CONCERNS TAXPAYERS (ONE WORD) concern tax payers, President (JOB TITLE, AP, LOWER CASE)of the airport board John Trew said “ If everything goes as we’ve plan now we will have more than enough money to begin the payments and pay back all the money that was borrowed by previous boards.”

Besides residence RESIDENTS of the Shalersville, the Township’s trustees were present. Portage County commissioners Chris Smeiles and Maureen T. Frederick were present as well as the newly elected commissioner Tommie Jo Marsilio.

Shalersville Township trustee Dennis Bujak said that three years ago there were 900 petitions against the airport’s expansion plan and that they presented that information to the county commissioners.

According to Township trustee Nancy Vine COMMA the top two items mentioned on formal and informal surveys have said no airport expansion and keep Shalersville rural.”

“ We have to go with the flow eventually but right now I’m with folks,

Vines said. “I would like to keep it rural if we can.”

With a raise of hands after being asked who was against the expansion, THE majority of the residence RESIDENTS present at the meeting (AT THE MEETING…NOT NEEDED) were against the airport’s plans.

Trew said, “ The only changes we plan to do right now is to generate revenue, try to get hangers (HANGARS…SP) that are on airport property owned by the airport and the county and be a sustainable economic tool for the future.”

In order to expand, the airport must prove to the Federal Aviation Association that certain community and economical needs are met.

Trew said some of the studies involve environmental impact, and engineering must be conducted the expansions mentioned by the board are part of their Capital Improvement Plan, a 10-year dynamic document. By December 18th the board needs to turn in a Capital Improvement Plan.

The current runway is 3,500 feet according to Tim Hartong, an airport board member. According to the current Capital Improvement Plan, expanding that to 5,000 feet is one of the things mentioned for 2011 besides purchasing land for buffer zones, and acquiring more private hangers. HANGARS Trew said if they were to do that first it must go 4,400 feet and then to 5,000 feet.

“ Incremental decisions need made before the runway can be extended,” Trew said.

After the question, “What’s the point of this meeting?” was asked, the mediator of the evening Steve Wilson said, “We have the right to be here, we have the right to assemble and petition the government under the US constitution and Ohio constitution. You’re asking really great questions. There’s always going to be a pro and con in what we do in government.”

Chuck Caliscchio, the zoning board commission’s secretary provided the P.A. system for the evening. THAT’S NOT A NEEDED FACT, RYAN.