BY ROGER KAHN | Truckee
I am supporting the slate of Mary Hetherington, Tom Van Berkem, and Lisa Wallace, who is taking the place of Kathleen Eagan, for the Tahoe Truckee Airport Board. Eight years ago, the airport district was in disarray. There was tremendous tension between the airport, pilots, and community about noise over neighboring residential communities, preferential rates for hangers, and other issues. Since that time, under policies adopted by Hetherington and Van Berkem and supported by Wallace, much of the tension has been eliminated. Flight patterns have been modified and a constructive dialogue has been developed with the pilots and members in the adjacent community to deal with the noise issue. The airport joined other public agencies in the Truckee community to purchase the Ponderosa Golf Course and, with North Lake Tahoe public agencies, to purchase the Tahoe City Golf Course, allowing both to remain open for their communities (and in the case of the Tahoe City Golf Course, to construct a helipad to be open 365 days a year for emergencies, which likely will result in lives being saved). The airport district has constructed and opened a new terminal building. They have hired a great general manager, Kevin Smith, and are now embarking on a master planning process for the future. This is not a time to change the great direction the airport district has moved in over the past eight years. Please join me in supporting Hetherington, Van Berkem, and Wallace for the airport board.
