GOLONSKI SAYS AIRPORT FEARS OVERSTATED; MAYOR CLAIMS COMMENTS MEANT TO STIR PUBLIC.Byline: Lee Condon Daily News Staff Writer Burbank Airport officials are trying to scare the public into thinking the airport is unsafe in an effort to generate support for their ambitious expansion plans, Burbank Mayor David Golonski charged Friday. Citing comments made last week at a summit on the impasse im·passe n. 1. A road or passage having no exit; a cul-de-sac. 2. A situation that is so difficult that no progress can be made; a deadlock or a stalemate: reached an impasse in the negotiations. over expansion plans, Golonski said airport officials exaggerated the need to move the airport terminal to a new location. At that summit, Airport Executive Director Thomas Greer said he thanks God that an airplane airplane, aeroplane, or aircraft, heavier-than-air vehicle, mechanically driven and fitted with fixed wings that support it in flight through the dynamic action of the air. didn't come crashing through his office every day when he goes home and an airline pilot said Burbank could become the site of the worst aviation disaster in the history of the United States “American history” redirects here. For the history of the continents, see History of the Americas. The United States of America is located in the middle of the North American continent, with Canada to the north and the United Mexican States to the south. . ``Those statements are ridiculous,'' Golonski said. ``They are playing on the fears of the public in trying to use the safety issue to support their expansion desires.'' Victor Gill, a spokesman for the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority, said the airport is not exaggerating ex·ag·ger·ate v. ex·ag·ger·at·ed, ex·ag·ger·at·ing, ex·ag·ger·ates v.tr. 1. To represent as greater than is actually the case; overstate: the safety issue. ``This is not an abstract problem. It is a real problem. It is not irresponsible at all to consider that we are 450 feet too close to a runway,'' Gill said. ``It is irresponsible for Burbank to hold up this project over an issue like noise, which has nothing to do with expansion. Safety is far more important than any noise issue Mr. Golonski can dream up.'' Airport officials have long claimed that safety is their top reason for wanting to relocate the facility's passenger terminal, which they also want to expand from 14 to 19 gates. They frequently cite a Federal Aviation Administration Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), component of the U.S. Department of Transportation that sets standards for the air-worthiness of all civilian aircraft, inspects and licenses them, and regulates civilian and military air traffic through its air traffic control guideline guideline Medtalk A series of recommendations by a body of experts in a particular discipline. See Cancer screening guidelines, Cardiac profile guidelines, Gatekeeper guidelines, Harvard guidelines, Transfusion guidelines. that says terminals should be located at least 750 feet away from the middle of any runway. The terminal at Burbank Airport is located just 313 feet from one of the runway center lines. Safety has been a major trump card in the airport's battle with the city of Burbank over the relocation and expansion of the terminal. Burbank officials support relocating the terminal but say they will continue to oppose building a bigger facility unless they can secure a curfew curfew [O.Fr.,=cover fire], originally a signal, such as the ringing of a bell, to damp the fire, extinguish all lights in the dwelling, and retire for the night. The custom originated as a precaution against fires and was common throughout Europe in the Middle Ages. on night flights and a noise budget. Golonski said airport officials have tried to distort the intent of the guidelines guidelines, n.pl a set of standards, criteria, or specifications to be used or followed in the performance of certain tasks. , which he said are meant to provide advice to airports on the best-case scenario for airport design. ``Failure to comply with the guidelines does not make an airport unsafe,'' Golonski said. ``In fact, there is virtually no airport in the country that meets all the FAA's guidelines,'' Golonski said. ``There are dozens of buildings at the airport that are closer to the runways than the guidelines recommend. And yet the airport does not seem in a panicked frenzy Frenzy Beatlemania term referring to the Beatles’ (rock musicians) immense popularity; manifested by screaming fans in the 1960s. [Pop. Culture: Miller, 172–181] Big Bull Market to relocate those buildings.'' Golonski said the FAA conducts a safety review at the airport annually and that Burbank Airport passed its most recent review in November 1998. Tom Bennett For other persons of the same name, see Thomas Bennett. Tom Bennett is a British actor. He has appeared in many British television shows, including Red Cap, The Worst Week of My Life, My Hero, Life Begins, The Booze Cruise II , an environmental specialist for the FAA, said the FAA does want airports to comply with the rule that terminals and other buildings should be 750 feet or more from the center line of runways. However, he noted that the most pressing runway problem at Burbank Airport was resolved in the 1980s when the facility agreed to shut down its east-west runway to commercial jets because of its proximity to the terminal. ``The FAA's flight standards division made a determination that they needed to put a limitation on the (east-west) runway,'' Bennett said. Since then, the FAA has not forced Burbank Airport to make any other special accommodations because of the proximity of the runways and the terminal building. Golonski said airport officials could build a new terminal, with the same 14 gates the current one has, without opposition from Burbank. ``If safety were really the issue, we could resolve it tomorrow,'' Golonski said. Gill's comments that the expanded terminal would not cause more noise and that Golonski was dreaming up the noise problem offended of·fend v. of·fend·ed, of·fend·ing, of·fends v.tr. 1. To cause displeasure, anger, resentment, or wounded feelings in. 2. the mayor. ``The argument that an expanded terminal does not equate e·quate v. e·quat·ed, e·quat·ing, e·quates v.tr. 1. To make equal or equivalent. 2. To reduce to a standard or an average; equalize. 3. to more noise is ridiculous,'' Golonski said. ``I'm not the one dreaming up the noise issue. It's a fact of life. It's unfortunate that officials of the airport would think that noise is an issue dreamed up by council members.'' But Gill said the new terminal needs 19 gates because the current terminal is too small for the 4.7 million passengers using the facility now. ``The current terminal is three times too small for the number of passengers it needs to serve now. This is not about the future, it's about the present,'' Gill said. ``We've given up planning for the future because of politics.'' |
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