Oregon State Airport Crisis Imminent

There is a budget and maintenance crisis brewing at the Oregon State Department of Aviation. There is a distinct possibility that some State operated remote and emergency airports will be shut down due to lack of funding for maintenance. If these airports cannot be maintained safely, then the State is obligated to close them. I'm sure you can understand why. OPA has a very good, working relationship with ODA, and let me assure you that nobody at ODA wants to close any airports, but their hands may be forced.

No specific airports have been designated for closure yet, but you can rest assured that any of the State owned airports designated as "Warning" or "Category V -
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Remote Access/Emergency Service" airports on the ODA website, like Crescent Lake, Owyhee, Silver Lake, Santiam Junction, Cascade Locks, etc., will most likely be the first targets.

Enter the Oregon Pilots Association. For some time now the OPA, primarily through OPA Public Relations Director Paul Ehrhardt, has been in talks with the ODA on how we can help them keep these threatened airports open. OPA has suggested that it can become an agent of the ODA and possibly become responsible for the ongoing maintenance of some of these airports. That is a big job to take on, but without some action by area pilots these airports may go away.

OPA is not a rich organization, as I am sure you know. We rely on volunteerism for everything. This undertaking will be no different. If the OPA undertakes this mission by forming the OPA Maintenance Wing, and I think we should, we will require equipment, fuel, and volunteer labor on a regular basis. We will do our best to coordinate with ODA, ODOT, BLM, and USFS, as we move forward, hopefully being able to utilize some of their resources if possible, but this undertaking will be largely up to us.

This is a call out for volunteers who are willing to travel and repair facilities on a non-paid basis. It is a call for equipment, tractors, trailers, mowers, grading blades, surface dragging equipment, etc., that can be loaned or donated to the OPA for airport maintenance use. Donations will be tax deductible as a donation to the Aviation Safety and Education Foundation, which OPA administers (be sure to check with your accountant).

Ask around at your airport and among your buddies. Maybe there is a tractor sitting in a barn that gets used very little that might be considered for donation? Fuel donations and just plain money for maintenance operations will be needed. Please look around and ask your friends. We need to get this together, and soon.

I do not want to lose a single airport under my watch as President of OPA. Please respond to me or Paul through the OPA website, www.oregonpilot.org. We need to hear from you and for you to get the word out to non-OPA member pilots around the State and northwest region. Time to act is now.

Thanks and fly safe.

Dennis Smith, President
Oregon Pilots Association

For a number of years now, various chapters of the Washington Pilots Assn have adopted some of the state airports. They generally do a once-a-year maintenance party, usually at the beginning of the flying season. Usually involves brush-cutting, clean-up, new windsock, painting, etc, but I imagine that sometimes there is some heavier work involved. Seems to have worked out well for all parties concerned.

various chapters of the Washington Pilots Assn have adopted some of the state airports

Perhaps an adoption program for maintenance is one proposal for OPA to suggest. We're all familiar with the "This highway adopted by ....." signs. No doubt ODOT already has a program in place for this that the OPA could 7500.

Off to join the OPA..............

I joined OPA a few months ago and have not received anything from them.
Are you members getting news letters or emails from them?

I joined WPA (again) last year & it took them about 6 months to ackowledge that. Not real on the ball, but then again it's a volunteer organzation so I'm sure everything is done as time allows.

I always come to J Creek for a week Memorial day and Labor day and would be willing to help on a work party a few days during that time frame. A few friends come with me in their planes maybe I could get them to help too. Billy

Rob-

One MAJOR factor is the fact that ODA let ODOT come in and take over the maintenance of most of the Oregon Airports and that has cost them almost more than they can survive through, ODA's staff has gone down to one or two guys running like crazy to try to keep up. ODOT bid the work as "X" amount of dollars and when they started the work the "Other " charges started to come in.... Transport of equipment, fuel sur-charge etc. then they put several ODOT employees in charge of ODA and started to feed all the work through ODOT costing the DOA (formally ODA) a ton more money and then to try to make them surpluss all the DOA's equipment and make them 100% reliant on ODOT.... can we say stacking the deck!!! Having kept the Joseph airport looking tip top and running smooth for the past 6 + years for a VERY low cost to the state and then have ODOT screw things up to the point of not having much at all being done here because they can't make up their mind on what to do the grass getting out of hand the fuel system is not up to par and all the work I have done to keep this place looking presentable has in my mind been all for nothing just because some person has a bright idea. So at this point I am a member of the local pilots association and OPA and IPA but for us to pay the fuel tax to keep airports up and running as well as other inputs financial and other wise and the poor decision making of the State and we have to bail them out ..... I am pretty tired of this BS!

The original article at the top strikes me as slightly naive. My perception is that the bureaucrats want more money, and to get it they are willing to abuse their power by threatening to shut down airports.

However, contrary to their position, it's already been shown that they will leave airports open for years without any maintenance. The most obvious example in my neck of the woods is Owyhee State. This is classified as a "warning" airport, and is mentioned above as one of the first that could be closed. However, I've never seen any maintenance except for an occasional pilot throwing a shovel of dirt into a hole. And, from the Oregon Dept. of Aviation website regarding Owyhee State:

Department of Aviation staff fly into this airport only about every 3-4 years, so we appreciate any information you can give us about the runway condition, good or bad.

"Crisis Imminent"? Perhaps not.

Yeah, it's like every time the state has a budget crunch, they threaten to lay off cops & teachers. Why not start with laying off the fluff employees?
I didn't know Dept of Aviation & Dept of Transportation were separate agencies in Oregon. I'm not saying it works great, but in Washington the state aviation is a division of DOT.

Solutions along these lines...?
http://parkprivatization.com/2010/07/mo ... ignorance/