WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) - The Waterloo City Council has postponed action on a proposal to permanently shut down the shortest of the local airport’s three landing strips - a plan that drew criticism from some pilots.
Airport director Keith Kaspari has recommended closing the runway because of safety and liability concerns. Cost estimates run from $300,000 for a resurfacing to $1.9 million to rehabilitate the runway in a shorter and narrower format.
The Federal Aviation Administration has said it won’t provide any money for runway 6-24 because the airport’s other two runways can handle nearly all of the traffic.
But several pilots told the council at its meeting Tuesday that the runway is important for companies that use smaller aircraft to shuttle workers to other locations. The runway also is a safe alternative when high winds and other issues make it harder to access the two primary runways, the pilots said.
“To have three runways is a great advantage to a city,” said David Johnson, a pilot and flight instructor.
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