Airport Board Issues Response to Post-Tribune article "Gary Schools Block Airport Expansion"

PRESS RELEASE Contact: Lori K. Sloan Phone: 219-949-4919 Email: lsloan@gyymail.com Date: March 12, 2009

 

March 12, 2009 (Gary, IN) - The Gary Chicago International Airport Authority at its regularly scheduled board meeting today issued a written response to Jon Seidel’s article titled, "Gary Schools Block Airport Expansion". The article appeared in the March 11, 2009 issue of the Post-Tribune newspaper. 

The response outlines four (4) points defining the necessity and decision to purchase the land now owned by the Gary School Corporation. The board’s response is as follows:

• 1. Is there a reason why property could not be purchased in another part of the country?
  
  The Corps of Engineers and IDEM (who issue wetland permits) require that mitigation occur in the same watershed as the impact. In this case, that would be the Calumet River(s). In this case, however, the agencies are being more restrictive because of the particular kind of wetlands being impacted (dune and swale) are rare and are found in a more restrictive area. We have to replace the dune and swale where they originally occurred; this limits us to only small portions of northern Lake and Porter Counties.  

• 2. Why were the school board properties so desirable?
  
  The school properties are excellent candidates for preservation and enhancement because they are relatively large and intact natural habitat areas. The permitting agencies along with the other commenting agencies have expressed a strong interest in having us pursue these properties. We are not aware of any other remnant dune and swale parcels of this size that are not currently in protective ownership.

• 3. Any idea of the minimum time to find or acquire other property?
  
  An extensive search of other available properties within this watershed has already been conducted and there are no other high quality properties of this size available. These properties remain the only alternative for the airport. To search in other areas will require consensus from the various agencies and could set the program back another year or more with no guarantee that they would agree to chance the mitigation citing criteria.

• 4. If the mitigation bank is an option, what would be the estimate cost for the airport at the going rate?
  
  The mitigation bank is not an option for impacts to these wetlands. The agencies have explicitly stated that the bank is not appropriate mitigation for impacts to dune and swale wetlands. Where the airport was able to use the bank was for non-dune and swale wetlands. This property is to be used to mitigate dune and swale wetlands. It is important to note that the cost of purchasing wetlands at the bank includes not only land costs but also construction, planting, and monitoring costs which greatly exceed the cost of the land. It also includes a guarantee from the bank owner that should the wetlands fail, the airport will not be held liable. Once land is purchased from the school board, substantial additional funds must still be spent on the sites for restoration, enhancement, management, and monitoring or the properties. These costs could potentially be an additional $25,000 or more per acre over and above the purchase price.

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Story posted: 3/12/2009