The future of the Methow Valley State Airport will be discussed at a public meeting in Winthrop on Sept. 24.
Discussion will focus on improvements at facility over next 10 years
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) Aviation Division is updating the Methow Valley State Airport Master Plan, and invites the public to hear about the process in a meeting on Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Winthrop Barn.
The plan will guide development and investment through 2046 at the airport, on Twisp-Winthrop Eastside Road, with particular emphasis on improvements during the next 10 years, according to a WSDOT press release.
“The updated plan will identify current and future airport needs, help maintain compliance with Federal Aviation Administration standards and reflect regional priorities,” according to the release.
The Sept. 24 meeting will be from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Community members, airport users, neighbors and other interested parties are invited to learn about the update and share their perspectives. The meeting will also be accessible online through Zoom.
According to the WSDOT release, the meeting will include a presentation about the master planning process and the role of the project’s Technical Advisory Group, or TAG. The TAG includes representatives from the local aviation community, emergency services, private aviation interests and neighborhoods surrounding the airport.
“TAG members will take part in a facilitated discussion about the challenges and opportunities with current and future airport uses,” the release said.
Topics will include:
• The master planning process and project milestones.
• Existing airport facilities and features.
• Current and potential aviation trends.
• Anticipated airport needs over the next 20 years with an emphasis on the next 10 years.
• Upcoming opportunities for public involvement.
The master plan update will examine several aspects of the airport, including runway, taxiway and apron facilities; airport access, hangar areas and utilities; airport signage, fencing, gates and security; helicopter, glider and seasonal operational needs; compatibility with U.S. Forest Service smokejumper operations; emergency response and wildland firefighting needs; environmental considerations and surrounding land uses; and future projects, costs, funding opportunities and implementation priorities.
“Public input will help WSDOT and the project team better understand how the airport serves the region today and what should be considered as the master plan is developed,” the release said.
Two more public meetings are anticipated but will be virtual only. The second meeting will focus on potential alternatives for updating airport facilities to meet future demands and needs; the third meeting will present the preferred alternative or most promising solutions and/or upgrades and will also include the Capital Improvement Plan.
People who cannot attend the Sept. 24 open house can learn more and provide feedback at https://engage.wsdot.wa.gov/methow-valley-airport.
Past issues
The airport has been in local headlines a few times in the past decade.
In 2016, a three-year dispute over WSDOT’s plan to install a high-intensity, rotating navigational beacon that would continuously operate from dawn to dusk was resolved when the state agreed to instead install a pilot-activated beacon — after a torrent of negative public comment.
The beacon allows pilots to activate runway lights, which then remain on for 15 minutes.
The original beacon, which went into operation with no advance notice, alarmed local residents because it created an intensely bright, wide-sweeping beam that could be seen from all over the Methow Valley. It operated for only four nights before WSDOT shut it down.
The original beacon was installed as part of a million-dollar improvement plan at the airport. WSDOT conducted a visual impact analysis to study the effects of the beacon. “The study found that all beacon angles tested had substantial direct visual impacts to neighbors and substantial indirect impacts to views of the night sky from properties not directly in the line of sight of the airport,” the study found.
WSDOT received more than 400 responses to a public survey about the beacon, with more than 90 percent of the responses indicating that none of the tested alternatives was satisfactory.
A pilot-activated beacon was also supported by the U.S. Forest Service’s North Cascades Smokejumper Base, which operates out of the airport.
In 2018, the community again got actively engaged with the Forest Service considered moving the Smokejumper Base to another location unless more than $5 million in renovations could be completed at the airport. That threat was resolved thanks to strong pushback from local and regional officials including Congressman Dan Newhouse.
According to the WSDOT website, the Methow Valley State Airport “has been described as the ‘Crown Jewel’ of the state-managed airport system.” The airport has a single, asphalt-surfaced runway measuring 5,049 feet long.
