Public meetings on cargo airport scheduled: Eachus says he planned the sessions to get answers on the proposed facility near Hazleton.

Oct. 8--The battle to gain funding for and shape public opinion of the Hazleton area's proposed cargo airport rages on.

In an effort to answer some of the questions about the facility, state Rep. Todd Eachus, D-Butler Township, plans to hold two public meetings this month.

Also attending will be a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation representative and members of Gladstone Partners LP, the private developer involved in the project.

"I'm going to try to get every question answered that I can before we close the doors," Eachus said. "I'm hoping that all these questions will be answered in the light of day."

Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta said he was not aware of the public meetings but would "make every attempt to be there." He said if he has a scheduling conflict he will have representation at the public meetings.

"I'm going to keep an open mind on the effects the airport will have on the area," Barletta said.

The proposed cargo airport will be located on 4,300 acres stretching between Schuylkill and Luzerne counties. The facility is projected to cost $1.6 billion

"For us, this is about jobs and opportunities," Eachus said. "This is a serious subject for the future of this area."

Eachus said wages in Hazleton lag behind wages in the northern part of Luzerne County.

"Folks are working hard and they're working for less," he said.

The cargo airport would generate 5,000 jobs and "real income of $40,000 to $45,000 a year" for workers, Eachus said. "It's all about wage growth for the citizens of Luzerne and Schuylkill counties."

All things considered

So far, no major air freight carrier has agreed to utilize the proposed cargo airport. Eachus said he does not think the lack of a major carrier should be an impediment to the progress of the project.

Besides benefiting Hazleton, Eachus said, the cargo airport would help ease congestion at airports in Philadelphia, Newark, N.J., and New York City. The federal government plans to have all cargo screened by 2010. The cargo airport in Hazleton would screen all air freight -- cargo that is not being screened now, Eachus said.

"Hazleton is a key solution in passenger arrival time and bolstering homeland security," Eachus said.

Barletta said he has a series of questions about the possible cargo airport and the population influx that would inevitably follow if the facility opens in 2010, the projected date.

"The jobs that it will create will be a boost for the economy of the Greater Hazleton area," Barletta said. "However, if the growth is not planned it could have a more negative effect than positive."

The mayor also wants to know where the money will come from for the improvements to schools, hospitals, sewage and water treatment and highway infrastructure he deemed necessary if the facility opens on schedule.

"Do we need another hospital?" Barletta asked. "There needs to be proper highways in place. The infrastructure of the city needs to be in place right now. We are not prepared for massive growth.

"If those challenges are met, the airport could have a positive effect on the area," Barletta said, "if not it could be a nightmare."

He said he is also worried about the potential crime such a large and sudden boost in population could cause.

"We need more police now," Barletta said. "Bringing in such a large population will bring in more crime."

Barletta said his administration is committed to improving and maintaining the "high quality of life" of the residents of Hazleton. Barletta said he realizes that the potential economic boom that could result in the city if the facility opens is important.

"Jobs are very important," Barletta said. "But so are health care, education and providing the level of municipal services."

Funding an issue

House Bill 1631, which would have allocated $495 million for the project, was killed in the state Senate earlier this year. The bill would have borrowed $250 million over a 30-year span.

Eachus plans to resubmit a funding request into a House bill he will send to the full House for a vote. The bill will request the allocation of $250 million specifically for the development of the cargo airport.

State Sen. Raphael Musto, D-Pittston Township, along with state Sen. Lisa Baker, R-Lehman Township, pushed for an economic feasibility study to be conducted on the cargo airport. That study is being conducted by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee.

Last week, Musto said he would not spend 5 cents on the cargo airport if the committee report did not show that it would be profitable for his legislative district. He also indicated he has had no interaction with Gladstone Partners and would base his decision on funding the airport on the report of the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee.

Prominent members of Gladstone Partners include former Hazleton Mayor Michael Marsicano and attorneys Robert Powell and Greg Zappala.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Public meetings on the proposed cargo airport will be held at 6 p.m. Oct. 17 and 10 a.m. Oct. 18. Both will be at the Hazle Township Municipal Building, off state Route 309.

Jeremy Grad, a Times Leader staff writer, can be reached at 829-7210.

To see more of The Times Leader, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.timesleader.com. Copyright (c) 2007, The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, Pa. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.