Rep. Walz promotes airport growth

OWATONNA - U.S. Rep. Tim Walz was at the Owatonna airport Tuesday talking up a federal grant that was recently awarded to the airport to pay for a crosswinds runway. But not everyone is in favor of a new runway.

Walz, D-Minnesota, said the Owatonna Degner Regional Airport is a valuable economic tool and the new runway will enhance its value. "We think this is a tool of economic growth," Walz said.

An intersecting crosswind runway would allow airplanes to take off or land more easily if the wind is north/south instead of east/west.

Rare Aircraft president Roy Redman disagrees, saying that a crosswind runway is unnecessary. Redman would not comment due to litigation between Rare Aircraft and the city of Owatonna, but in a 2005 communication with the city he wrote that there is little that can be done to improve utilization of the airport by the business class of airplanes. Rare Aircraft maintains and services aircrafts at the airport.

Redman also disagrees with airport manager Dave Beaver's assertion that the new runway will make operations safer.

"Another runway creates an intersection which, in turn, creates the basis for collisions," said Redman in the correspondence.

Owatonna has already received a grant for $491,000 to go toward the $3.5-million runway project. The grant money comes from user fees on commercial flight tickets.

The money will be used to complete the first phase of the project, which consists of improving water drainage and minimizing the runway's effect on wetlands. Beaver said the airport commission's goal is to have 95 percent of the project funded by grants and have the runway completed by 2009.

Beaver said that when the airport was built in the 1940s, it had a crosswind runway. It was removed in the early 1990s when the current runway was rebuilt. He noted that Mankato, Marshal and St. Cloud also have crosswind runways.

Faribault Municipal Airport manager Jerry Serres said Tuesday that a crosswind runway makes the airport safer because it gives pilots more landing and take-off options.

"On a day like today the wind is too strong to land on the normal runway," said Serres.

Faribault's airport has a 2,500-foot grass crosswind runway. Owatonna's crosswind runway would be paved and would be 3,000 feet long.

Redman also criticized the crosswinds runway by saying it would increase airport usability by 4 percent at the most and that only small light planes would benefit.

"The business aircraft ... the executive jets, turboprops and twins. . .are not prevented from using our airport at present with our existing runway," Redman wrote.

Beaver agreed that large planes are not are as affected by crosswinds, and those planes would probably stick to the main runway. He maintained there were plenty of small airplanes being used for business, however.

"A number of people ride single engine planes for business. You don't need a corporate jet to conduct business," Beaver said.

According to Beaver some of the local businesses that use planes for business include Josten's, Cabela's, SPX, Blount, Crown, Cork & Seal, the grocery stores and the large retail stores.

There are about 30,000 take-offs or landings at the airport each year, Beaver said.

Walz visited the Waseca Municipal Airport Tuesday, which also received a grant, and is visiting the Mankato Regional Airport today.