Keene Homeowner's Association
352 Main Street, Suite 3b
Keene, CA 95127

To Airport Planning Committee:

        Keene Homeowner's Association has conducted a survey of 500 regional residents, including 450 inhabitants of Keene.

        Movement of people to and from the urban and suburban centers of our region demands greater access to public transportation that includes commercial air service. Economic development and community vitality will be enhanced by the creation of an airport facility west of Keene. The site is conveniently located equidistant from the residential and city regions, and can coexist with changes to the roadway infrastructure, energy and water service expansion, and other city expansion.

        The survey indicated that 70% of residents are in favor of airport development and most would appreciate benefiting from tax relief, availability of national and potentially international travel services, employment opportunities, and economic revitalization. In addition, 25% of the community has expressed interest in expanding the city following airport development by opening high-technology, manufacturing, or university services.

        The survey showed that noise pollution is the highest concern (82%) of the community, followed by air and water pollution. To reduce noise, residents request that the flight path run as far from residential areas as possible. If an airport is constructed, the southwest corner of the land site was chosen for development by a vast majority of residents (87%), although some voiced concern about proximity to the power grid.

        Residents feel that highway or other ground access should be improved within a year of the airport groundbreaking. Several proposed that overpasses be installed, and lanes widened. However, new development should not infringe upon hiking and daytime recreation regions at the northwest and north region of the land site, including use of the river for fishing and exploration. Wetlands are appreciated by several citizens since the amphibian studies in the 1990s, and 38% of those surveyed considered preservation of endangered species and wildlife to be a top priority in development.

        Overall, the citizens of Keene and neighboring rural areas support development of the Keene Airport. Please contact us if we can be of further service.

        Sincerely,
                Franklin Shouver
                President, Keene Homeowner's Association