By Billie Jo Jannen
The Alpine Sun
     ALPINE — Residents of Alpine and the Back Country will get to have their say and ask questions next Thursday, Nov. 17, when The Alpine Sun and the San Diego County Airport Authority will co-host a forum on the regional airport siting process.
     Joe Forlenza, Alpine Planning Group member and columnist for The Alpine Sun will moderate the event, which will be held at the Alpine Community Center.
     There has been plenty of dialogue among area residents, both pro and con, about the airport placement process and discussions have accelerated sharply since it was learned this spring that the Campo/Boulevard site is on the short list of sites to be studied.
     Many residents have begun attending airport meetings, which are held downtown, and the Campo/Lake Morena Community Planning Group has selected a member, Shirley Driscoll, to form a committee to monitor authority activities.
     Along with environmental concerns, there has been considerable speculation as to whether a regional international airport would harm, or help, local business along the I-8 corridor.
     However, to date, there has been no local event where these issues could be publicly aired and the Alpine meeting will likely be the only local opportunity for residents to discuss concerns and ask questions.
     Among issues that have already been raised about the site are its proximity of to that of the Campo reservation landfill, high winds that routinely top those generally considered acceptable for take-off and landing, pollution impacts to delicate mountain ecosystems and groundwater, and access to the site via winding two-lane roads.
     A highway study recently presented to the airport authority by consultants Ricondo and Associates concludes that I-8 would need to be widened by as much as three lanes between I-15 and the new airport in order to accommodate airport traffic into the city.
     On the other hand, many residents believe an airport in Campo/Boulevard would bring more money to local businesses.
     The town hall style event will include a presentation covering the latest on the search for an airport solution and an audience question session where attendees will get the chance to have their questions addressed directly by airport authority staff.
     Airport authority CEO Thella Bowens and Lemon Grove mayor and SDCAA board member Mary Sessoms will be present.
     Forlenza serves as chairman of the APG’s cell tower subcommittee and also chairs the Alpine Revitalization Committee. His column, Forlenza’s Forum, appears exclusively in The Alpine Sun.
     Residents who wish to catch up on locally-focused airport news to date may find stories by The Alpine Sun in our Online Archives. Recent coverage and commentary appear in the following issues: March 10, 2005, April 28, 2005 June 2, 2005, July 21, 2005, Aug. 18, 2005, Sept. 8, 2005, and Oct. 20, 2005.
     See San Diego County Airport Authority for information about the site search, maps, and other information.

E-mail Billie Jo Jannen