----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- The following was posted on the Stemme Owner's Group by the McAllister's who own a glider ride operation at Steamboat Springs. They are asking that pilots go to the URL listed and vote "NO". Please read and vote. Right now the NO's have it!! thanks, Bob Parker Mena, AR. ******** Hi Guys: Please pardon this crass appeal, but we could use some support for our airport here in Steamboat Springs, CO and, as this is a numbers game, I figured SOG would be a good bet as a number of you have used our airport or are planning on coming here one day for soaring. As those of you who get AOPA Pilot magazine may have seen, Susan and I, as well as all pilots who use Steamboat Springs Airport, are in a fight to preserve the Steamboat Airport from the nefarious forces of local politics. The goal of our opponents is to close the airport, into which the federal gov't has put more than $28 million, and make more efficient use of the land for the public good. The issue is this: Local deal makers want to close the airport in order to either build affordable housing units on it AND/OR to turn the airport into a drag-strip/race course for the benefit of one local race promoter. We and the Northwest Colorado Aviators (the local airport users group) have been waging a 6+ month long effort to convince city council to come out with a statement supporting the airport out into time. We got this in December. However, there has also been an effort to build new hangars here. This effort has been going on for many years. Finally, last Tuesday, city council approved a 40 year land-lease to the developer of hangars. On the face of it, this seems to bode well for the airport's continued existence. HOWEVER, the forces rallied against the airport, although having little public support, are trying to pull every string they can in order to make this a lightning rod for public opinion. To that end, our local paper has a weekly "Sound Off Question of the Week." This weeks's question is "did the city council make a mistake committing to a 40 year lease agreement for hangars?" This question is clearly meant to foment anti-airport support in the community with the implication being that the 40 year lease agreement commits the city to keeping the airport open for 40 years. In addition, most pro-airport efforts to get positive coverage in the newspaper has been quashed. Gives you some idea of the "small town politics" we have here. SO... to any and all of those of you who wish to support general aviation and those of you who have made use of or plan to make use of the Steamboat Springs Airport in the future (remember Motorglider Nationals are here in June of 2002), we would appreciate you placing a "NO" vote in this poll at www.steamboatpilot.com/extra/poll.poll. It should only take a few minutes of your time and we all could use every vote against this effort to overturn city council in order to put this issue to bed once and for all. Thanks for your consideration, Tim & Susan McAllister ==^================================================================
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