How lucky do you feel?
Lewis County Commissioner Gary Stamper described Toledo’s chances of hosting a new primary commercial airport — basically a Sea-Tac 2 — as equivalent to hitting the Powerball three times.
But if Lady Luck shines on Lewis County, its leaders will have sacrificed Toledo on the altar of the almighty buck.
Nearly three decades ago, when my husband and I bought a home about a mile from the Ed Carlson Memorial Field, we never imagined the sleepy little airport where skydivers plunge from the skies over farmland would one day be considered for a commercial airport with three 9,000-foot-long runways.
But when the state Commercial Aviation Coordinating Committee came calling, the Lewis County Board of County Commissioners answered affirmatively to, in the committee’s assessment, “strongly encourage” the committee to consider expanding the South Lewis County Airport at Toledo.
It did.
“One of our planners did take a very detailed look at that and templated a few examples of a large, three-runway, 9,000-foot length runway airport at Toledo and determined that, yes, in fact, with maybe a few minor road revisions, that footprint would fit,” Robert Hodgman, senior aviation planner for the Washington State Department of Transportation, said during a July 22 online meeting.
Toledo, surrounded by farmland and scattered residences, offered the potential 4,600 acres such a large commercial airport would need.
But as I listened to the nearly three-hour CACC meeting, I found hope for retaining our rural lifestyle in a comment by Shane Jones, a committee member with 16 years in the airline industry and experience developing airport master plans.
He insisted a new airport must be commercially viable.
“I can tell you right now that an airport a hundred miles from Seattle and 75 miles from Portland, that is not a viable location for a commercial service,” said Jones, who is vice president of airport real estate and development at Alaska Airlines and previously worked for Delta Air Lines.
Whew!
As the meeting continued, discussion focused on the need for an airport in the south Puget Sound region, perhaps in Thurston or Pierce County. However, after residents complained about creating a green field airport near Black Lake four miles south of Olympia, Thurston County commissioners voted unanimously against being listed as a sponsor.
Stamper compared the county’s application to boosting the Toledo airport’s resume, publicizing the airport and its willingness to cater to larger airplanes in hopes of drawing investment and construction of new hangars.
“We’re trying to figure out how we can generate some more money for the airport and make it a little more self-sustained,” said Stamper, who represents District 3, including Toledo and most of East Lewis County. “Sea-Tac 2 will not be in the future for Lewis County. There’s zero chance of that.”
Nobody knows what transportation will look like in 20 years, he said. “There might be some opportunity for some drone aircraft or delivery or things like that.”
Stamper suggested the airport could generate income by handling larger aircraft, although a dozen years ago, local residents pushed back against county commissioners’ plans to create a cargo freight hub at the Toledo airport with a north-south runway. I attended those meetings and sighed in relief when they shelved the plans, in part because of public opposition.
I understand the need for economic development. Lewis County is located near a major interstate with railroad access to industrial ports. Toledo offers high-speed internet. But I doubt most Toledo residents want to sacrifice their quiet lifestyle and views of Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens to a hundred jets roaring overhead every day.
Stamper said the county’s application to host a new large international airport might help when seeking grants from the Federal Aviation Administration, Homeland Security Department, or other agencies to improve the airport.
“We’re looking for a way of maybe generating some revenues,” he said. “We do need to do some improvements, and quite frankly, the county doesn’t have those revenues to do that.”
Commissioner Edna Fund echoed his sentiments, noting the need for federal money to improve the airport that was established at Toledo during World War II to train aviators how to land amid cross winds. She noted the airport property contains wetlands, “which is a major issue for any large development.”
“We will not be Sea-Tac 2 in 2040,” she said. “We submitted our paperwork in hopes of getting better visibility so our future grant requests for airport improvements would be funded. We need leverage to gain money for improvements.”
She said she’s sorry the commissioners’ political strategy created unneeded angst in the community.
“My vision is for our World War II-built airport to be updated so that small private jets connected with the Benaroya property in Winlock would be landing (and) regular scheduled shuttles from the airport would deliver customers to Toledo restaurants and services.”
Last week commissioners broke ground on Mickelsen Parkway off North Military Road near Winlock, which will provide access to trucks at the 320-acre Benaroya Pacific Northwest Regional Logistics Center’s industrial site.
“We love our county and want the best for it,” Fund said.
Commissioner Bobby Jackson said, “I am interested in exploring the possibility of the economic impact this could have in our community, especially with the development of the South County Industrial Park in Winlock. I’m glad we were able to be included in the discussion.”
As Sea-Tac neared its capacity for handling commercial and cargo air traffic, the Legislature tasked the CACC to find a site for construction of a new international airport by 2040. The committee is scheduled to provide a list of six potential sites to state lawmakers in January with selection of the top two sites determined by September 2021 and a final option determined by January 2022. The CACC also is looking at expanding smaller airports to relieve pressure on Sea-Tac.
The committee’s staff looked at almost 30 airports in the Puget Sound area before creating a chart that compared the top 19 based on travel time from major cities of 90 minutes or less, acreage, runway length, agency sponsor, and transit service.
While focused on Snohomish, King, Kitsap, Pierce and Thurston counties, the staff reviewed the Centralia-Chehalis and Toledo airports. Although close to Interstate 5, the committee listed concerns in Chehalis with runway length, acreage, and available off-airport land.
That review left six potential sites—Arlington (only 11 miles from Paine Field in Everett), Bremerton National Airport, Everett/Paine Field, Shelton/Sanderson Field, Tacoma Narrows (strong community opposition), and Toledo. The staff listed Toledo’s low proximity to population centers as a major drawback — although that’s one reason many of us chose to live here.
At the July meeting, the staff was asked to reconsider Joint Base Lewis-McChord after one proposal to move the military base to Eastern Washington and other suggestions to create a joint military/civilian partnership.
The next CACC meeting will take place in October with perhaps another in early December.
As Stamper said, we have a better chance of winning the Powerball three times than landing an international airport at Toledo. I’m hoping fortune won’t favor Lewis County, but if it does, I know plenty of Toledo folks ready to fight.
Julie McDonald, a personal historian from Toledo, may be reached at [email protected].
