The city of Austin’s municipal airport expansion project can proceed.

Wednesday, March 28, 2001

The city of Austin’s municipal airport expansion project can proceed.

The city now will be able to apply for more grant monies with the endorsement of the project from the Mower County Board of Commissioners.

That endorsement came Tuesday morning, when the county commissioners re-examined the issue at their regular meeting.

Once again, Jon W. Erichson, Austin’s city engineer and director of public works, returned to the county commissioners’ meeting to plead the city’s case for the county’s endorsement.

"Before we can go forward and apply for more grant monies we must know the Mower County board’s direction on this project," Erichson said. "We’re trying to do the most cost-effective project we can and one that will least impact everyone."

David Hillier, Third District county commissioner, had words of advice for the commissioners before making their decision.

According to Hillier, the county board chairman had done all he could to examine the issue from all sides. He met with township boards, farmers and non-farm dwellers in the path of the runway expansion project at the east edge of Austin along Highway 218 South.

"We need a decision today to let the city of Austin go forward with its project," Hillier advised the commissioners at the outset of the discussion.

He also said the consensus is that relocating the portion of CSAH No. 3 either to the south to hook up with CSAH No. 45 (old Highway 218 or the "Echo Lanes" highway) or north to Interstate 90 "seem to be the consensus of most of the people I’ve talked to."

Hillier also made it clear: "The costs to be incurred in this project are not to be the county’s or to affect the tax levy."

Farmers David Morse and Larry Gerlach expressed their concerns about how the relocation would impact on their farming operations. Morse and Gerlach also were concerned about surface drainage problems in the impacted area.

Erichson said the city understands those concerns and that is, in part, why they prefer a route for the portion of CSAH No. 3 that runs along an utility easement.

That means about 25 acres of farmland will be taken out of production to make way for the 130-foot-wide relocated portion of the county highway. Originally, it was thought as much as 228 acres would be needed.

"What we’re trying to do is minimize the impact out there," Erichson told the skeptical farmers and Miller about the city’s plans to extend the runway from 4,800 to 6,500 feet.