College elects prof to airport committee

After months of struggling for direct College representation on the Lorain County Port Authority, College President Nancy Dye has named Professor Emeritus George Andrews to the committee.

The expansion of the Lorain County airport, located in New Russia Township, is a major concern of the Oberlin College community. The 60 plus articles published on the topic prove that this is not an issue the community takes lightly.

The appointment of Andrews to the committee occurred just before Spring Break, when the county decided to create a Port Authority Board of five people to deal specifically with the expansion. Ross then invited Dye to select one person from the College to serve on this board. Dye accepted the offer and nominated Andrews because he has experience as a pilot.

Before this selection, the College and town were left largely in the dark about the progression of expansion development, despite efforts to communicate. Last February, the Oberlin City Council complained about the lack of information from the county commissioners regarding their plans to build an air cargo center as part of their expansion plan.

"We will now have a voice in the group of people who will be making the major decisions," said Al Moran, vice president of college relations.

County Commissioners Michael Ross, Betty Blair and Mary Vasi proposed to expand the runway from 5,000 to 7,000 feet, which continues to bring questions of noise and environmental pollution for local residents. The longer runway would allow larger planes to use the airport.

In December the Oberlin College and town community protested the proposed expansion in Wilder Bowl. Approximately 15 citizens gathered at the Oberlin Public Library on Dec. 2 to plan their efforts against the airport expansion. Particpants decided to run a positive campaign for smart growth and sustainable development for Lorain County, rather than a negative campaign against the County Commissioners.

Almost a week later a protest of town and College was held in Wilder Bowl organized by junior Amy Wolf and senior Chuckie Kamm. The purpose of the protest was to inform college students about the recent local events surrounding the expansion. The protest brought sounds of turbo jets through amplified speakers blasting from the steps of Wilder into the Bowl. The sounds were created so students and residents could imagine the potential noise pollution upon expansion.

The expansion proposal was followed through when County Commissioners unanimously voted to purchase the service provider at the Lorain County Community Airport. The purchase, made from Midwest Air, totalled $1.796 million. A $350,000 down payment will be made now with the balance due May 19.