It is said that with time one gains wisdom...
The December 6, 2023 Solberg Master Plan Public Information Meeting #1 certainly was an example of not making the same mistake twice! One might venture a guess that with the benefit of FAA Public Involvement experience and the first-hand lessons learned since Solberg’s 1997 Master Plan launch, there is no wisdom nor community support to be gained by simply announcing a plan to build a new 5,600 x 100 ft. runway (03-21) and pave a minimally used turf runway (13-31) to 3,700 x 75 ft., greatly enhancing its year-round utility.
This meeting took a much “softer” approach by simply explaining the Master Planning Process and introducing DY Consultants, a Manhattan based international aviation planning firm, working under State contract; a Grant from the NJ-DOT #6422325. To be clear, this Grant funding is a gift of money (payment for services) to the private airport owners who will receive the benefits of the work to be done.
As a side note, DY Consultants is the same firm that represented Solberg Airport for the 2021 Planning board hearings addressing the main runway rebuild and pavement extension on the 735 ft. displaced threshold of runway 04. It is believed this was done under a NJ-DOT Capital Improvements Grant (90%) for funding awarded at $684,290.25.
By and large the audience, estimated at between 400 and 600, listened to a brief presentation by Seth Young, Chief Operating Officer at DY Consultants. While not expecting a presentation the assembled audience anxiously awaited the opportunity for making comments.
Audience sentiment quickly became apparent...
At the point Dr. Young advised it would be “unfair” to engage in an open Q & A session, suggesting comments and questions be delivered to the various discussion stations around the room, the displeasure of the assembled audience became apparent. An audience member asked for a show of hands of those that wanted NO EXPANSION at Solberg! Virtually every hand in the room was raised in the air.
Again concluding the presentation, the audience began to migrate to the discussion stations.
Other points Dr. Young brought up included:
- The Master Plan and ALP work is guided by documents provided by the FAA and NJ-DOT (funding)
- Addressing airport expansion as a multiphase planning endeavor avoids overbuilding
- Currently workin on the airport inventory to assess the available infrastructure and its condition
- A demand assessment will follow
- A Citizens Advisory Committee has been established (members not disclosed)
- Anticipates two or more meetings, one at about half-way point and another at the release of the draft study which WILL be available because it is funded by the State (an anticipated end date was not provided, however, the indication was that the study would be ongoing for several months)
- Confirmed that without supporting data they were not going to plan to be another Teterboro with 1,000 operations per day
The Informatin Offered
The following slides were presented on easels around the room. No real information about what is being considered for Solberg Airport! Notable on board 3 is that the primary runway (04-22) is documented at 5,598 x 50 ft. and turf runway 10-28, closed under the 1997 Master Plan, has been reopened and moved to a new location on the property. There is documents from the FAA offering “NO OBJECTION” to the airspace determination for the primary runway length. It is unknown if the same exists for the reopening and relocation of 10-28. It would not be unreasonable for the public to assume that at least these two items will eventually make it onto the expansion agenda. And that is probably the most information that was given to the public.
Hover your mouse over the scrolling slide show to stop the scroll and read a slide.
Our opinion...
Almost 28 years after first challenging the citizens of Readington Township with a massive, life changing expansion of their privately owned airport, Solberg Airport’s owners are again embarking on a mission to expand the airport with a State funded update to their 1997 Airport Master Plan and Airport Layout Plan (ALP). An audience of hundreds of residents resoundingly echoed the sentiment of the February 1996 meeting, NO AIRPORT EXPANSION! Despite the Airport Sponsor’s claim, little has changed in the community, to justify expansion beyond what was completed in 2022 with the rehabilitation and additional paving of the main runway (04-22). In fact, affordable housing mandates from the State have already increased housing and density in the area with a demographic that would hardly find a nearby corporate jet-port an attractive asset. In fact that demographic is frequently one that is the victim of airport expansion and associated property devaluation.
To date there is no demand data to support an airport expansion. Realistically, there is a sense of creating an artificial demand for another jet-port so that the available land does not succumb to another “highest and best use”, forever rendering it unavailable for airport expansion.