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Latest on Meigs & chairman Daley

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cessna_driver2

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 22, 2002
Posts
402
I haven't see this posted yet. So I hope I am not double posting. But here is the latest spin off from Chairman Daley about Meigs.


FAA probe of Meigs Field closing irks Daley

By Hal Dardick
Tribune staff reporter
Published October 3, 2004

Mayor Richard Daley on Saturday delivered an impassioned defense of his decision to shut down Meigs Field, refuting Federal Aviation Administration claims that the city violated federal rules and perhaps misused federal funds in the process.

"We know we acted properly and legally when we closed Meigs Field last year," Daley said at an unrelated event on the South Side with the city's lawyer on the issue at his side.

Citing safety concerns in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and subsequent revelations of Al Qaeda terrorists' flight training at small airports, he said, "I don't think small planes should be flying whatsoever in the metropolitan area, especially in the city of Chicago."

His comments came a day after the FAA proposed a $33,000 fine against the city for not giving 30 days notice of its intent to demolish Meigs.

Michael Schneiderman, the city's attorney on the issue, said the FAA's 30-day notice rule has exceptions "in the event of public safety or an unreasonable hardship. ... The city decided there was a significant public safety threat in having the airplanes right near downtown and made the decision.

"Some people in Washington seem to think they know better than the city does about the safety of the city's people, but the rule is clear," he said. "It's got that exception, and that's the exception we used."

Tony Molinaro, FAA spokesman for the Great Lakes Region, said the city has 30 days to contest the $33,000 fine. "If they do not want to pay the civil penalty that is proposed, they can sit down with us and argue their case, which is fine, or they can take it before an administrative law judge," Molinaro said.

The FAA on Friday also announced an investigation to determine whether the city improperly diverted to Meigs nearly $1.5 million in funds intended for capital repairs at O'Hare International Airport.

If the FAA deems that improper and the city refuses to reimburse the funds, Chicago could face penalties of up to $4.5 million, FAA spokesman Greg Martin said Friday.

Daley fiercely defended the city's use of $1.49 million in federal grants and airline passenger tax revenues to rip out Meigs' runway and restore the land. He said the airport, which leased the land from the Park District, had an obligation to restore the property to its original condition, as any tenant would.

"Illinois law is very clear that no tenant can damage a landlord's property and leave the property behind," Daley said. "The tenant has to restore the property. The city has no choice under Illinois law.

"Meigs lost a total of $14,660,966 from 1997 to 2003," he said. "That deficit was made up by the two Chicago airports and not with city money. The FAA cannot complain that those funds are being used to clean up the airport."

Molinaro disagreed with that reasoning, but noted the city will have the opportunity to make that argument to the FAA.

"The issue of them having an obligation to restore the land is beside the point," Molinaro said. "The money they used is federal dollars that are to be used for improving and enhancing airports.

"That's the issue, the difference of opinion there, that we still want to talk to the city about some more," he said.

Daley said that after Denver International Airport opened in 1995, federal aviation funds were used to demolish Stapleton Airport and restore the land beneath it.

"The FAA did not complain about the use of airport funds to clean up the old Denver airport after it was closed," he said. "It tries to distinguish Denver now, but the precedent is very clear under the law."

Molinaro said he was not familiar with what took place in Denver but said Daley's administration will have the opportunity to make that argument before the FAA.

Daley ordered bulldozers to destroy Meigs' sole runway around midnight March 30, 2003. He said Saturday he did it in the stealth of night to avoid protracted litigation that would have delayed the action he deemed necessary to protect the public.

"We know they were going to go initially into court," he said. "Everybody knew that."

Meigs backers have accused Daley of using public safety as an excuse to see through his goal of turning Northerly Island, on which Meigs sat, into a showcase lakefront park.

An animated Daley said that was not the case, noting that the federal government restricted flights over Washington, D.C., New York City, Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California in the wake of the terror attacks.

"The safety issue has always been there; I have argued this," Daley said. "I think every city should be protected because of the 9/11 situation."
 
Ugh, if he is so worried about "terrorist attacks" against Chicago, I suggest he should leave and never board an airplane again.
 
I'd love to see a bunch of taildragger pilots in the area organize a fly-in in the, uhm, park.
 
Anytime you have to do something under the cover of night....not only is it wrong...you know it is wrong....


(same with that "bama judge.... installing the ten commandments at night...c'mon!)
 

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