AIRPORT UPDATE

MAYOR BILL WIGGINS

JUNE 20, 2000

Just under a month ago, I gave a "State of the Airport" speech in which I talked about the status of negotiations over a new terminal at the Burbank Airport.  At that time, I said the City and the Authority were discussing revisions to the Framework for Settlement to address concerns raised by the FAA and many other interested parties.  As part of our commitment to keep the public fully informed about ongoing Airport negotiations, we are tonight releasing a copy of the City's current proposal.

That proposal, that we are calling the Outline of Terms, is being distributed along with annotations explaining our thinking on each point and showing where we have proposed changes from the Framework for Settlement.  The City Council has developed this proposal after receiving tremendous input from area residents, other local elected officials, and, most especially, FAA and the Airport Authority.  We listened to that input and have reshaped our proposal accordingly.  We believe that the new proposal offers the last best hope for reaching an agreement for a new terminal and providing noise relief to our residents.

I would like to touch on a few of the key principles that guided our drafting and explain how we think the parties can reach closure on an agreement.

The Outline provides for two phases of terminal construction.  Phase 1 is a 14-gate, 250,000 square foot terminal.  The most significant precondition for this phase is implementation of a mandatory 10 pm to 7am nighttime curfew.  As FAA Administrator Garvey has now recognized, a curfew will be a precondition to an agreement for a new terminal.

Phase 2 would involve expanding the terminal to 16 gates and adding 30,000 additional square feet of space.  The most significant precondition for Phase 2 is implementation of a noise budget.  That noise budget is designed to provide a guarantee that noise exposure will never be greater than today's levels - even if the Airport grows over time.  The City Council has engaged technical consultants who have concluded that a modest level of growth is possible without increasing noise levels - but the Authority must provide appropriate incentives for airlines and others to use the quietest possible aircraft.  The Authority and the City have agreed that a reasonable design capacity for a new terminal would be 6.7 million annual passengers - a level that we now know can be achieved without any increase in the community noise burden and a level that will take between 15 and 30 years to reach.

The Outline also contains provisions to make sure that we will never again be in the position we are today where we are fighting with our partners in Glendale and Pasadena over Airport decisions.  The Outline requires a supermajority vote for Airport Commission actions that could have the effect of inducing growth - actions such as entering into new leases, building new facilities or reconfiguring space in the terminal.  This is important to preserve the fair partnership that our three cities intended to create when they formed the Airport Authority more than 20 years ago.

We are proposing that the Airport be treated no better - and no worse - than we treat any other large project in our City: When we approve large projects, we require that the developer have a master plan, that it agree to adhere to that plan and that it agree to mitigate adverse effects of its proposal, including future growth effects.  The Outline very carefully balances all the competing interests and views on the proper role for an airport in our community.

As you will see in the materials we are distributing, the Outline also includes changes in the mitigation payments to the City; the mechanism to consider eastern departures; and an effort to improve the safety zone beyond Runway 8.

Most of the revisions we have proposed were drafted in response to concerns raised by residents, the FAA, the Authority, other interested parties.  We have learned much from the negotiations that have taken place over this last year, and we believe that the Outline contains the right mix of measures needed to ensure that construction of a new terminal and any Airport growth will be responsibly managed to protect Burbank and nearby Los Angeles neighborhoods.

We are convinced that this package is the best way to resolve our dispute.  My City Council colleagues and our staff already have spent untold hours with our colleagues on the Airport Commission and Airport staff and the FAA discussing the elements of this proposal.  We have had many productive discussions about how best to revise the Framework and reach a final agreement.  As a result, we all understand each other's positions very well.  The proposal that we are tonight publicly releasing tonight offers a comprehensive approach that we believe can meet everyone's needs in a fair and balanced manner.

But time is running out.  By the end of July, the City will have to decide whether to purchase some or all of the B-6 Property or whether to let it be sold to a private developer.  Other events also could make an agreement more difficult to reach, including the FAA's December 31 deadline for the Authority to use federal money that has been earmarked for a terminal.  After either of these events, each side's flexibility will be much more limited.  We do not have time to begin a long series of negotiations.  That is why I believe that the Outline of Terms may be the last best opportunity for us to reach agreement on a new Airport terminal and necessary noise relief.  I am optimistic that we can reach that agreement based upon the Outline of Terms.

We will continue to keep the public informed as we proceed with these negotiations.  Since any agreement will come before the voters for ratification, your involvement in this process is critical.

Copies of the Outline of Terms are available here tonight and on our regular web page at www.ci.burbank.ca.us. Or you may call my office at 238-5751 and we will be happy to send you a copy.  Thank you.