CITY FORMS PANEL ON AIR TERMINAL AIM IS TO GATHER CONCEPTS FOR FACILITY'S EXPANSION PLAN.

Byline: Susan Abram Staff Writer

BURBANK - With the goal of placing a plan for a new Burbank Airport terminal on the Nov. 5 ballot, the City Council has formed a 16-member committee to gather ideas for the project.

The committee was appointed late Tuesday and will meet for the first time at 7 p.m. Monday in the Burbank Hilton, 2500 Hollywood Way. Additional public meetings will be held over a six-week period.

``It's a way for the council to receive a very well balanced cross-section of input,'' on the plans to build a new terminal, Mayor David Laurell said Wednesday. ``The council will receive balanced representation.''

Howard Rothenbach, chairman of Restore Our Airport Rights - which sponsored Measure A that put conditions on any construction project at Burbank Airport - said six weeks is not long enough to draft a viable terminal plan.

He said he believes the committee - recruited from business owners, airport neighbors and other interested residents - will serve no real purpose and that the council has already agreed informally on a new terminal plan.

``My understanding (of the committee) is that it's a public relations scheme and there isn't any value to it,'' said Rothenbach, who refused an invitation to serve on the panel.

The Burbank Airport Authority is working on plans to build a 40,000- square-foot addition to the 160,000-square-foot terminal in order to accommodate the screening machines and security personnel mandated in the wake of Sept. 11.

Rothenbach said that while opponents of airport expansion agree that more security measures are needed, they say the existing terminal can accommodate most of the equipment, and that trailers could be set up alongside the existing building to handle the overflow.

Critics also accused the council of trying to circumvent the upcoming verdict in a legal challenge of voter-approved Measure A.

A judge is scheduled to rule Wednesday on the validity of Measure A, which requires the city to obtain an overnight curfew and put a cap on flights at Burbank Airport prior to approving any new terminal plans.

Attorney Peter J. Kirsch, who advises the city on airport issues, said Burbank officials want a plan in place in case Measure A is declared illegal.

Laurell and other council members said the time is right because the airport needs to meet federal security regulations.

The airport faces a Dec. 31 deadline to upgrade and expand in order to meet the new regulations, which require 100 percent mechanical screening of luggage for explosives.

``If Measure A is struck down, or even if it isn't, the council has an obligation to move forward with the airport,'' Laurell said at Tuesday night's meeting.

Airport authority spokesman Victor Gill said members of the authority want to take a wait-and-see approach to the issue.

``It's a little bit early for the authority to react,'' he said.

Council members at the meeting also agreed they have done a poor job in communicating airport issues to the public.

The committee's formation is just one of several outreach efforts proposed by the city that will elicit more public feedback. Also planned are public service announcements, visits to homeowners groups and a media campaign.