BURBANK MANAGER CRITICIZES LATEST AIRPORT PLANS.

Byline: Lee Condon Staff Writer

Burbank Airport officials bragged that they had cut 137,000 square feet out of their proposed expanded commercial airline terminal in the spirit of compromise, but it turns out most of the downsizing was accomplished by moving the baggage claim area outside.

The baggage claim section will take up 90,000 square feet, but is not included in the calculation of the size of the new terminal because it would not be enclosed. In the previous proposal the baggage claim area measured 125,000 square feet and was indoors.

``To come in with nearly (90,000) square feet of baggage area outside doesn't make sense. I think it's a charade to make the terminal look smaller,'' said Burbank City Manager Robert ``Bud'' Ovrom. ``It's stupid.''

Victor Gill, a spokesman for the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, said the switch was made to respond to Burbank's complaints about terminal size. By moving the baggage claim into a covered area outside, it cuts down on the square footage of the proposed terminal.

``We're trying to find ways to offer a terminal that works for Burbank,'' Gill said. ``It was to try and create a smaller terminal for Burbank's consideration.''

The rest of the square-footage downsizing was accomplished by cutting the number of terminal gates from 19 to 16. However, Ovrom said that under the proposal, the airport would have the option of adding the three gates back into the mix by 2010. If the baggage area does end up being put back indoors and the three gates are added, the airport would be right back where it started, at nearly 465,000 square feet, he said.

``The truth is that it's a small change,'' Ovrom said.

The baggage claim at the current airport is located outside as well. Since the beginning of their effort to build a new terminal, airport officials have said one of their main reasons for relocating and expanding the terminal is to provide the region with a modern airport.

``It was always presumed that baggage claim here would be like it is at all other modern airports, indoors and air-conditioned,'' said Phil Berlin, an airport commissioner appointed by the city of Burbank.

After years of legal battles about the expansion plans, the airport authority offered an olive branch of sorts to the Burbank City Council last month when it submitted a new expansion application. Instead of asking for 19 to 27 gates, it asked for 16, with the option of expanding to 19.

Instead of asking for a 465,000-square-foot terminal, the authority asked for just 330,000 square feet. It was not until last week that city officials realized that the new baggage claim area was not included in the 330,000 square feet of indoor space but was instead a 90,000-square-foot outdoor area with an overhang.

While the baggage claim area no longer has to be included in the calculation of ``indoor'' space, Gill insisted that it is not outdoor space either. Instead, he said, the most accurate description is enclosed, since there will be a roof to protect people from rain.

Berlin said he was unaware that the baggage claim was placed outside in the new application when he voted to send the proposal to the city of Burbank. He found out about the change at a subsequent meeting of the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, the panel that oversees the airport.