Differences on runway must be corrected

I sincerely hope that the Daily Bee can be of some help to me and the taxpaying public. Let me explain: On Jan. 26, 2005 I wrote to tell what I had been told was fact that the Bonner County Commissioners (Board) was asking the FAA to help fund a major change at our airport (i.e. a removal of the existing runway and construction of a new runway with basically the same dimensions 60 feet to the west).

A few days later the Daily Bee published a letter from a Sol Pusey (Airport Advisory Board member) that said I was in error and that the plan was to adopt a different option from the airport master plan which would leave the runway in place and construct a taxiway the entire length of the runway on the west side of the airport. Either plan concerned me due to the land acquisitions necessary.

On Friday I was shocked to find a letter in my mailbox from the FAA (Renton, Wash., airport office) stating that the plan I had been told about was correct and Mr. Pusey's letter was in error.

When I attempted to get clarification on the issue at the Bonner County business meeting, I was told that the FAA was in error, that the commissioners had not been dealing with the FAA in the above, and that the FAA had no right to approve any plan without the county's approval.

I would like the Bee to dig into this issue, get all the facts, publish a story as to what is going on and how much the taxpayers are going to see their property taxes increase due to this program. Where will the average taxpayer benefit from capital expenditures at the airport when we need funds for education in our county?

JAMES A. BLAKE

Sandpoint