A
A BIG
A BIG CONVERSATION CONTINUES IN CUSTER COUNTY OVER A PERMIT
FOR A PRIVATE AIRSTRIP.
LAST NIGHT THERE WAS A
PUBLIC MEETING OVER
THE ISSUE...WITH A LOT OF
LOCALS SAYING THE
AIRSTRIP BRINGS
UNWANTED TRAFFIC,
NOISE, AND
ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACTS.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS. WE HEARD FROM ONE OF
THOSE NEIGHBORS
YESTERDAY...AND THAT
STORY IS ON OUR
WEBSITE.
HOWEVER, THERE IS ALSO
THE BELIEF THAT A
PRIVATE LANDING ZONE
ON PRIVATE PROPERTY IS
WELL WITHIN THE LAW.
A BELIEF THAT OBVIOUSLY
BELONGS TO THE
PROPERTY OWNER,
MICHAEL BOREN.
WE WANT TO CONTINUE
THE CONVERSATION WE
STARTED YESTERDAY BY
HEARING THE OTHER SIDE
OF THE STORY...FROM THE
PERSPECTIVE OF THE
PEOPLE APPLYING FOR THE
PERMIT, THE BOREN
FAMILY.
MR. BOREN WAS AT THAT
MEETING LAST NIGHT TO
PLEAD HIS CASE AND
ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS
POSED TO HIM.
HE SAID HE WANTED TO
CLEAR UP THE MIS-
INFORMATION ABOUT HIS
CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT
APPLICATION.
JOE PARRIS EXPLAINS.
"WE ARE HERE THIS
EVENING TO REQUEST
ISSUANCE OF A
CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT
FOR
FOR PRIVATE RESTRICTED USE AIRPORT THAT WILL ALLOW EMERGENCY USE
BY THE PUBLIC." -MICHAEL
BOREN
IN FRONT OF THE CUSTER
COUNTY PLANNING AND
ZONING COMMISSION,
MICHAEL BOREN SAID HE
WANTED TO CLEAR UP
MISINFORMATION ABOUT
WHY HE IS LOOKING FOR
A CONDITIONAL USE
PERMIT FOR AN AIRSTRIP.
HE FULLY ACKNOWLEDGES
HE HAS BEEN FLYING IN
AND OUT OF HIS
PROPERTY
PROPERTY LOCATED ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY BETWEEN
HIGHWAY 75 AND THE
SAWTOOTH MOUNTAINS.
"WE DID EVERYTHING WE
COULD TO DO THE RIGHT
THING, WE DIDN'T BUILD
AN AIRPORT. YOU
PROBABLY HEARD THAT IN
A LOT OF THE LETTERS
THAT WE BUILT A BIG
AIRPORT, WE DIDN'T
BUILD AN AIRPORT. WE
LAND IN A PASTURE, IT'S
AN IRRIGATED PASTURE
AND THAT'S WHERE WE
LAND THE AIRCRAFT."
BOREN SAYS HE USES HIS
AIRCRAFT AS A PART OF
HIS RANCHING
OPERATION AND TO GET
TO AND FROM HIS
PROPERTY, HE SAYS MUCH
LIKE OTHER IDAHO
RANCHERS.
"I'M FULLY AWARE THAT
PEOPLE CAN HAVE A
RANCH AND DO A REALLY
GOOD JOB WITH IT
WITHOUT HAVING TO USE
AIRCRAFT, BUT I AM NOT
ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.
THE WAY I DO IT, I NEED
THEM."
BOREN SAYS HE HEARS
THE CRITICISM THAT HE IS
LOOKING FOR A PERMIT
RETROACTIVELY TO FLY IN
AND OUT OF HIS
PROPERTY.
"AND THAT IS NOT TRUE.
WE LOOKED AT THE
REGULATIONS, WE DIDN'T
CONSIDER OURSELVES TO
BE A PUBLIC SERVICE
FACILITY, WHICH IS WHERE
AN AIRPORT THAT NEEDS
A PERMIT FALLS IN THE
ZONING ORDINANCE AND
SO WE DIDN'T APPLY, AND
WE CERTAINLY DIDN'T TRY
TO HIDE ANYTHING OUT
THERE IN THE MIDDLE OF
THE VALLEY."
SO, BECAUSE THE
LANDING SITE WAS ONLY
USED FOR PRIVATE USE
BOREN SAYS HE DOESN'T
BELIEVE HE IS BREAKING
REGULATIONS. THE
REGULATIONS. THE
PERMIT
PERMIT HE
PERMIT HE IS LOOKING FOR IS SO THAT THE LANDING SITE COULD BE
RECOGNIZED OFFICIALLY
POTENTIALLY USED FOR
FIRST RESPONDERS IN AN
EMERGENCY. HE SAYS HE
HAD THE IDEA AFTER
SEEING A BAD CRASH
NEAR HIS PROPERTY.
"IT WOULD BE OPEN TO
SOMEBODY WHO LOST AN
ENGINE OR HAD A
SERIOUS PROBLEM IN THE
AIR OR TO EMERGENCY
MEDICAL SERVICES OR TO
FIREFIGHTERS, THAT'S ALL."
THERE HAVE BEEN
QUESTIONS ABOUT IF THE
AIRSTRIP FELL WITHIN THE
SCENIC EASEMENT ON
THE PROPERTY. BOREN
BELIEVES HE IS WELL
WITHIN THOSE
REQUIREMENTS AND SAYS
HE HAS WORKED TO MAKE
SURE THE
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
FROM HIS AIRSTRIP AND
PROPERTY IN GENERAL
HAVE BEEN POSITIVE.
"A LOT OF THOSE LETTERS
THAT YOU READ SAID
THAT I'M NOT BUT AS FAR
AS I'M CONCERNED, AND I
TRULY BELIEVE THIS, I'VE
READ YOUR REGULATIONS
AND I'M NOT A PUBLIC
SERVICE FACILITY. I'M IN
COMPLIANCE." HYPOTHETICALLY A STUDY COULD BE DONE TO
DETERMINE IF BOREN'S
AIRSTRIP AND BUILDINGS
ON HIS PROPERTY
VIOLATED THE EASEMENT
WHICH IS MEANT TO
"PROTECT THE NATURAL,
SCENIC, HISTORICAL,
PASTORAL AND FISH AND
WILDLIFE
WILDLIFE VALUES, AND TO PREVENT ANY DEVELOPMENT THAT
WOULD TEND TO MAR OR
DETRACT FROM THAT."
BOREN SAYS AS FAR AS
THE THREE STRUCTURES
ON THE PROPERTY, HE DID
IT THE RIGHT WAY.
"WE HAVE THOSE THREE
BUILDINGS AND THREE
BUILDING PERMITS, AND
WE FOLLOWED ALL THE
RULES AND WE ARE
PEOPLE THAT FOLLOW THE
RULES, BELIEVE IT OR NOT
AND YOU WOULDN'T
BELIEVE THAT FROM SOME
OF THE LETTERS, BUT IT'S
TRUE."
BOREN ADDS THAT IF THE
PERMIT IS GRANTED
NOTHING WILL CHANGE,
EXCEPT FOR THE
POSSIBILITY THAT HIS
LANDING SITE COULD BE
USED IN AN EMERGENCY
BY OTHERS.
"THERE WOULD BE NO
CONSTRUCTION, NO
CONSTRUCTION OF
ANYTHING. IT WOULD
JUST BE DESIGNATING IT
AS AN AIRSTRIP AND
TELLING
TELLING THE FAA THE DETAILS OF WHERE IT WAS, EXACTLY WHERE IT
WAS. HOW LONG IT WAS,
HOW ROUGH THE
SURFACE IS, THOSE SORTS
OF THINGS."
OF THINGS."
WHAT
WHAT WAS
WHAT WAS THE FINAL DECISION LAST NIGHT AND WHAT HAPPENS
NEXT?
THE GEORGE FLOYD