MARK WAITE / PVT Pahrump volunteer airport manager Charlie Gronda, at right, gets in an argument with Bill Riches, holding the coffee cup, over the project. At left is Chuck Gile and John Crilly, partially hidden. To the right of Riches is Gary Vavzycki. Advertisement

About 50 members of the public showed up for a Federal Aviation Administration public hearing Monday to gather input for an environmental assessment on the proposed Pahrump Airport, which is expected to be ready a year from now.

The FAA would provide 95 percent of the costs, or $11.7 million for the $13.2 million for phase I, and $25.5 million of the $33.7 million total capital improvement program, according to a Pahrump Airport master plan approved by the town board a year ago.

Two sites were narrowed down for the proposed airport site. Both are on or near the California state line southwest of Gamebird Road and Winchester. Both are 650 acres. The preferred site is on the state line.

Phase I would include building a 5,000-foot runway, a parallel taxiway and entry-exit taxiway, parking apron, perimeter fencing, electrical and phone service, airfield lighting, automated weather observation station, parking lot, 30 hangars, hangar taxiways, fuel tanks, an on-site water well, on-site septic sewer system and on-site stormwater detention basin. A two-mile access road would be built to the airport from either Gamebird Road or Thousandaire Boulevard.

While an environmental analysis is being conducted, FAA Enviromenntal Protection Specialist Doug Pomeroy said if impacts to the environment couldn't be mitigated or significant controversy ensues over the environmental effects of the project, a more extensive environmental impact statement could be required.

"In this situation we haven't identified that any of those conditions apply," Pomeroy said.

Plant and animal surveys, along with cultural surveys of whether there are Native American sites, are under way, he said.

The draft environmental assessment is expected to be ready for public review in spring 2010 and a final version in fall 2010.

The reaction was mixed from the audience, who commented individually to a transcriber, not in a public hearing format. Some of the crowd wore buttons identifying themselves as members of Concerned Citizens for a Safe Community.

Bill Riches, who said he flew Boeing 737s for 30 years, had his button on, while he was arguing with town of Pahrump volunteer airport director Charlie Gronda.

"I don't think it's necessary. I think it's needless," Riches said, noting there are probably not 10 people in Pahrump who own airplanes. Riches said he lived for a year and a half near the Calvada Meadows Airstrip, a private airport, but saw very few planes land.

While the FAA would pick up 95 percent of the cost, Riches said, "If it's 100 (percent) it's still irrelevant, $19 million, and (Gronda) says it comes from taxes on airlines. It's still government money as far as I'm concerned and to build an airport that the majority of the citizens that I know of don't want?"

John Crilly, who lives down the street from Riches on Hays Street, said the airplanes would fly over his home about three miles from the end of the runway on the west end of Pahrump. The money should be better spent on repairing the nation's air traffic control system, he said.

"I think it will bring in people and businesses to town, help our economy," Gronda replied. "You'll create jobs on the airport by having the aircraft there and hopefully get aircraft maintenance and fueling and we'll bring in other people from other areas to use the airport and they'll spend their money there."

Pat Kirby, who lives near Kellogg and Homestead roads, just east of the site, didn't have problems with it.

"That's so far out there, I mean we go shooting out there and these people can't hear me," Kirby said pointing at the map. "It's far enough away that light aircraft aren't going to bother me."

Dick Schmidt, with Aries Consultants, said the flight pattern will be over California, except perhaps for pilots heading north towards Reno who may use air space over the far western part of Pahrump.

"The idea is to avoid coming over the community," Schmidt said.

Gordy Jones, who said he lived just east of the site, around Plantation Street and Manse Road, had concerns over odors from fuel spills drifting in his kitchen window, a fault line that runs along the state line, and whether the drilling of an airport well will force him to redrill his domestic well again.

Schmidt said if anyone spilled jet fuel they should be reported. Bore holes drilled down to 60 feet didn't uncover any faults, he said.

"One of the issues we have to address in the environmental designation is to make sure we're not disrupting the water flow into California," Schmidt said. The project calls for building up the runway property, which lies in a floodplain.

Once the comments are received, Schmidt said scientiists will walk one foot apart over the whole property. He said they know there are desert tortoises out there and Pahrump buckwheat.

Gary Vavzycki said he's all for the airport project but believes it would be better to locate it behind the Pahrump Nugget Casino, where there is a lot of land and it would be highly accessible.

Pilot Stan Davis sought to put a positive spin on the comments, while chatting with the transcriber.

"Historically speaking, towns across the country that have had airports installed have benefited by the development of the airports in their town," Davis said.

Airports bring jobs, development and transportation they wouldn't normally have, he said.

Written comments may be submitted to: Doug Pomeroy, Environmental Protection Specialist, Federal Aviation Administration, 831 Mitten Road, Suite 210, Burlingame, CA 94010. The deadline to submit comments is April 20. Any questions may be addressed to Pomeroy at 650-876-2778 ext. 612 or by fax at 650-876-2733.