BURBANK BREAKS OFF TALKS ON AIRPORT; LEGAL FIGHT LOOMS OVER EXPANSION.

Byline: Eric Wahlgren Daily News Staff Writer

Dealing another blow to Burbank Airport's expansion plans, city of Burbank representatives Friday ended secret mediation talks designed to resolve the bitter debate over the proposed $250 million terminal.

Citing an unwillingness on the part of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority to make any concessions, city negotiators now say no resolution will be worked out until after a lengthy and costly legal battle.

``We believed that we had presented a reasonable package that could be accepted by both sides,'' said Burbank Mayor Bob Kramer, a member of the city's negotiating team. ``Our position was rejected by the Airport Authority and also rejected by the airlines themselves that serve the airport.''

Kramer sent a letter to mediator Dana Peterson of Stanford University's law school Friday terminating her contract. Burbank and the Airport Authority together had spent more than $30,000 on the mediation talks since they began in June.

Sean McCarthy, an Airport Authority spokesman, said everyone representing the authority in the talks, which were shrouded in secrecy, was on vacation and unavailable for comment Friday.

``They will be given the news as soon as possible and the authority will confer on the matter,'' McCarthy said.

Representing the authority were Joyce Streator, its president; Carl Raggio, its vice president; Airport General Manager Tom Greer; and Airport Controller Dios Marrero.

In addition to Kramer, Vice Mayor David Golonski, City Manager Bud Ovrom and former Airport Commission President Brian Bowman represented Burbank.

City officials say their negotiators offered important concessions to the Airport Authority, including agreeing to a new, 19-gate air terminal. Previously, the city only had agreed to allow the authority to replace the 14-gate terminal with a 16-gate terminal on a nearby site, Kramer said.

Going beyond what the City Council had authorized, Burbank negotiators also had offered to allow an unlimited number of flights at the airport, provided that the authority agree to other restrictions, Kramer said.

Under the proposal, city negotiators said airlines would be asked to pay a fine of up to $50,000 if there were any flights between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. Kramer said a voluntary curfew is in effect but that airlines routinely violate it.

A proposed noise curfew would have required the Airport Authority to force airlines to use quieter jets.

Kramer said the authority rejected those proposals.

Although authority representatives were not available for comment Friday, in the past they have said the Federal Aviation Administration limits their ability to place restrictions on airline operations, making such agreements difficult.

``Right now we are going to sit back and let some of the legal cases run their course,'' Kramer said. ``I would expect that there is going to be years and years of more litigation.''

The city has spent more than $3 million on its legal tab for the airport expansion dispute, whereas the Airport Authority has shelled out more than $1.5 million in its own legal expenses.