Ed Carlson Memorial Field has been listed as one of six potential sites for a new major commercial airport in Washington.
The list of sites is part of the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Committee’s (CACC) Phase I report, which includes preliminary recommendations for meeting Washington’s long-range commercial aviation facility needs.
Listed alongside Ed Carlson Memorial Field are Arlington Municipal Airport, Bremerton National Airport, Paine Field in Snohomish County, Sanderson Field Airport in Shelton and Tacoma Narrows Airport in Gig Harbor.
“The list of six potential sites should only be considered preliminary because it only includes existing airports at this time,” said David Fleckenstein, CACC chair, in a press release from the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). “Additional work needs to be done to identify potential sites that may be more appropriate for a major airport. The work of the CACC was greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which constrained opportunities for community engagement.”
WSDOT created the CACC under direction from Substitute Senate Bill 5370, passed unanimously in the state Legislature’s 2019 regular session. The commission was tasked with determining Washington’s long-range commercial aviation facility needs, coming up with recommendations for how to meet those needs and identifying a site for a new primary commercial aviation facility.
The bill cites an increase in air traffic operations, concerns about health, environmental, social and economic impacts of a projected increase in those operations, and Washington’s position as a “national and international trading leader” as reasons for building a new commercial aviation facility.
The commission has until September of this year to identify the top two choices from the list of potential sites and until Jan. 1, 2022, to pick its top choice.
The Lewis County Board of Commissioners submitted a letter to the CACC back in July to express interest in working with WSDOT to expand Ed Carlson Memorial Field.
“A more developed airport that close to I-5 with services and other opportunities could provide significant economic benefits to Lewis County, as well as other neighboring communities, including opportunities for aviation technology-based industries, new family-wage jobs and increased tax revenues to support additional community services,” the county’s letter reads.
Local residents formed the Citizens for Responsible Aviation in Toledo in September of last year to advocate for the self-sufficiency of Ed Carlson Memorial Field and to oppose the airport’s expansion into a large regional airport.
“Our vision for the South Lewis County Airport is to protect our natural rural environment by partnering with the county on future airport related decisions affecting citizens and communities throughout our region,” reads a mission statement on the group’s website, www.toledoforaviation.com.
The group also hosts a Facebook page, which is intended to “provide a social forum for the happenings around the new major airport selection process as it pertains to Toledo.”
Public engagement is CACC’s next step, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. WSDOT states that the CACC has already heard many citizen concerns about noise and the effects on the environment and society, and the commission intends to “consider measures to reduce both noise and harmful aircraft emissions from aircraft.”
The CACC’s next upcoming virtual webinar will be in February, with the next official meeting in the spring.
WSDOT stated that the commission’s website, https://wsdot.wa.gov/aviation/commission/home.htm, will be updated as soon as the dates are confirmed. The full Phase I report is also available online via the link above.
