Sadly, I have no knitting to post today. I did finish the crocheted mitered square scarf, but I don't have a picture. I've been tied to the keyboard working and am only taking a moment away to post something so my blog doesn't develop cobwebs.
I do have to mention one thing about a local concern. If you're not in Hillsboro, Oregon, you may not give a rip about this, and that's fine. I'll only take a minute, I promise.
I live near the Hillsboro Airport. It's a small airport, mostly concerned with helicopter training, small planes, and a handful of private jets. I like it that way. It also hosts the air show every year, filling the neighborhood with noise of big jets and things exploding in ground exhibits and such. I like that, too, although I can't say all my neighbors feel the same way.
Several years ago, the Port of Portland (the agency who runs the airport) announced that the FAA had declared Evergreen Road was too close to the runway on the north end of the airport. Subsequently, they realigned the road so that it goes in an arc instead of a straight line, presumably to put more distance between the end of the runway and the road. Sounds fine, right?
Well, as soon as the new road opened, the old one was obliterated. I thought that was sort of strange, since usually such things are left alone to deteriorate on their own. After all, it was just a buffer zone, right? Sure it was. I started noticing that the runway, which was previously not quite visible from the road, seemed to move. I can't prove it, but I'm fairly certain they extended the runway a bit. And about that time, they also started making noise about adding commercial airline flights into our little airport, something they would need longer, stronger runways to do.
The community expressed its dislike of that idea, and it seemed to go away. I'm sure that, like a bad penny, it will just keep turning up again, though.
Enter the newest gambit. In the local paper there was an announcement (looks like a box ad) of a "Parallel Runway Environmental Assessment" for the airport. They propose to add a second runway and taxiways and relocate the helicopter training pad and invite the public to come to a meeting, complete with "light refreshments" to hear all about it.
Okay, so this is probably progress and although I don't like the idea much, the idea alone isn't really what got my goat.
The meeting is scheduled for Thursday, September 11th.
Is it just me, or does it seem like not such a good idea to schedule a meeting about adding air traffic to an a small airport surrounded by residential areas on the anniversary of 9-11?
Maybe their meeting organizer and/or PR person has a short memory. Or maybe I'm just too sensitive about the subject and date coinciding.
What do you think?
4 comments:
My limited experience with date schedulers has been that they tend to live in caves, seperate from the humankind and the Media.
It's nice to know someone can live that way. They just don't need to be the one arranging meetings.
Geeze-oh-pete!
Maybe it's an expression of opinion b the scheduler... he may think the whole thing is a bad idea, and wanted to trigger people.
As your neighbor and no fan of Hillsboro Airport, I can only say their scheduling gaffe is typical. Actually I think the person who schedules PR events was on vacation, so the task was delegated to Dilbert's pointy-haired boss.
Whoever scheduled this must have been living under a rock the last six years. I will NEVER forget that day, and will continue to observe it for the rest of my life.
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