HomeMy WebLinkAbout11 17 1989 Airport consultants picked for studyAirport consultants picked'f or study
By Glenn McLaren
tioned as a way to get public input
Sun staff reporter
and break down -the "consultant
Williams, Hatfield & Stoner, Inc.
mystique" that citizens may have.
of Fort Lauderdale (WHS) has been .
A final detail in their plan was the
chosen as the best of three consulting
suggestion of a public hearing on the
firms under consideration for the
completed study. This is not be re -
proposed airport compatibilty study,
quired, but Greiner felt it would be
according to a memorandum issued
important to allow residents the
Wednesday by City Planner Peter
' oppurtunity to express their opinions,
Jones.
toward the study's findings.
Jones also served as head of the
As part of their effort to obtain
selection. committee that included
,public attitudes toward the airport
City Manager Robb McClary and.
issue, Williams, Hatfield & Stoner
City Engineer David Fisher.
Inc. of Fort Lauderdale (WHS) in- .
The city will begin formal negotia-
;cludes a citizen participation director
tions with WHS after the Sebastian
as part of its project staff
City Council approves the appoint-
. WHS called for°public meetings'
ment. Jones will discuss preliminary
and advisory committees as a neces-
matters with the firm until WHS is
sary part of the compatibilty study.
confirmed so that they can proceed
They emphasized that . all sides
on schedule with the project outline.
'needed to be addressed, including
Representatives of the three. con-
residents, users and state and federal
suiting firms chosen as finalists .for .
agencies that would be concerned.
the upcoming ..airport -community
, Hunter/RS&H of Jacksonville
:compatibility study made their pres-
used many of the same ideas to in=
entations to the selection committee
Nov...2 at City Hall.
Each group was given 30 minutes
to explain their approach to develop-
ment of a study plan, gathering of
background information and receiver
ing•public input. ;
After the 30-minute presentation,
the meeting was opened for,ques-
tions from the interviewing commit-
tee. ' ,
The .interviews were open to the
Public, but only one person, Council -
;man Lloyd Rondeau, chose to attend.
He also was allowed to ask questionb
of the candidates. -
A common theme in each fum's
approach to this study wasthe impor-
tance ofpublic input- Eachcompany
r
included citizen committees, public
hearings and individual input as criti-
cal elements in any attempt to-de--
velop a complete study of the airport
issue.
r�,,nel
to its study schedule monthly meet-
, ings of a committee to be established
by the city council and made up of the
various groups involved in the one
,going debate over the airport's fu-
ture.
One-on-one workshops and infor-
mal discussion sessions were anotheti
part of the program that Greiner
Project Manager Don Weaver men-;
clude community involvement. The financial support of the FAA
Their project manager, Charles will be withdrawn if the city is forced,
Mudd, also stated that their firm had through a pending lawsuit, to imple-
the capabilities to produce a video ment an ordinance containing noise
presentation of explaining the restrictions that the FAA finds objec-
study's results. tionable. 1. - ,
In the past, he said, these videos The firms vying .for the consul
have been made available'to various tanting job did had some differences
communitygroups toassistthecity in in their approaches to the study.
sial matters. =
Each of the companies presenting
information said that the study could .
be completed within the one year
time frame established by the city.
The three firms also had similiar
policies concerning cancelaOon . of
the study after it had been initiated.
Each would expect payment of rany
services completed at the time of
termination.
This option may have to be exer-
cised by the city in the event of a loss
of funding from the Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA).
Two of the companies, Greiner and
Hunter/RS&H, plan to use members
of their own staff in all phases of the
study. WHS will contract some of the
work to ,Thompson Consultants
International of Miami. .
According to Carroll Sandefs, vice
president -of WHS's transportatiork.
division, this will be done so that
every operation can be handled by
someone. with expertise in the area
concerned.
'We can. provide the best help
available," said Sanders,". not just
someone doing an extra duty."--