The skies over Treasure Valley will be filled with jumbo jets hauling freight if Boise Mayor Dave Bieter gets his way and industrializes the area around the airport.
Based on testimony before the Idaho Legislature last week, the city needed a constitutional amendment to make it easier to obtain financing for facilities because the west coast airports are so crowded the big overseas air freighters need a hub inland....if Boise builds it they will come.
Meanwhile, parking is at a premium at the BOI passenger terminal. Team Dave and the City Council refuse to allow voters the opportunity to approve a new parking garage...which would be funded by user fees, not taxes.
The Statesman in their article today reported that Mayor Dave "Won't discuss funding options being considered." Seems the Mayor prefers to operate in secret rather than allow the public a voice in their government.
The parking garage was the subject of a Idaho Supreme Court decision in 2006. The Supreme Court said that $27 million for a parking garage was "too profound" to be considered "ordinary and necessary". They told the good mayor to get voter approval for his parking garage and their finanicng scheme was also a violation of the Idaho Constitution.
Now, the city of Boise is spinning their campaign in the Statesman to justify the "need" for a new control tower and a third runway south of the existing airport. Short version is that ridership at the current airport simply does not justify a major facilities expansion.
The freight hub is a "business plan" of the airport and it is aimed at creating GROWTH for the sake of growth. (Sleeping at night is not their aim for citizens of the valley.) To be sure THE CALDWELL GUARDIAN advocates facilities for passengers coming and going from BOI...the problem is using public monies to create industrial growth and the increased air and highway traffic with jumbo jets landing 24/7 and big trucks tearing up I-84 hauling freight out of this new hub.
Greenies and conservationists are probably also opposed to filling the valley air with jet exhaust, noise pollution 24 hours a day. Air freight uses the night sky to do business. Caldwell and Nampa are in the glide paths to BOI. Then there will be the "need" for more fire stations, police facilities and manpower, schools and electric generating capacity. Insomnia and asthma inhalers for everyone on this deal if Mayor Dave gets his new air freight hub at BOI.
Had the legislature not shut down SJR 105 and SJR 107 team Dave would now be off and running with thier plan to make BOI an inland freight hub for overseas jumbo jets. We all have to wonder what "plan B" is to further destroy our way of life in this valley.
(photo and background info courtesy of Dave Frazier, Boise Guardian)
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