By Donna Westfall – March 20, 2017 – With the federal government considering the elimination of Essential Air Service (EAS) airports, should the $2.8 million Airport Terminal contract be stopped or deferred? Will there be a penalty?  How much would the penalty be? Was it Finigan’s Folly to push through the airport terminal? Can the contract be canceled if need be?  If the contract is canceled, will the airport be renamed “Finigan’s Memorial Airport?”  Will flights in and  out of the prison be affected? Will Penn Air stop their flights?  All good questions.

Clint B, David S. and Hank N. all had something to add.

Bob Berkowitz (BB) has a plan to save EAS which he will most likely reveal in the next Board of Supervisors meeting.

Much talk about the upcoming trip to Washington DC when Chair Howard and Sup. Hemmingsen with Sup Cowan as the alternate leave in May.  Sup. Gitlin said the vote to have an alternate was not “noticed” in advance and based on a preliminary legal opinion by Assistant County Council, Joel Campbell-Blair while Elizabeth Cable is out of the office, the vote was illegal.

BB said from his experience in Washington DC, the best time to go there is in February (already past) and mid-September.  May is a horrible time of the year to go because everyone wants attention.  The donors want to be escorted around DC, and groups wanting action don’t get to meet with the politicians.  They get assigned an aide. The aide take 8 to 10 visits a day and then advises the elected official.

Roger W. stated the obvious about Last Chance Grade.  “The snowball is moving downhill.” Sup. Gitlin reminded us from his meeting at LCG with Sen. McGuire and some of the Crescent City Council members, that there are 4 slides stretched over 3 miles.  The cliff is bulging out. Horrible consequences to this land-locked area.

Jaime Y yelled out, “It’s like the water tank in Hiouchi.  If it goes, the town is wiped out along with the people.”

In the meantime, CHP cars were whizzing down Hwy 101, sirens blaring, lights flashing, towards Klamath to help out this morning with stabbings and shootings.  (See article published today, “Scanner indicates law enforcement, ambulance and hospital is busy this morning with stabbings and shootings.”)

Brief discussion on the 199 and the impact of STAA trucks.

Jaime Y was in rare form today coming up with one quip after another. ” The logging business, stopped by an owl.” Come to find out that it wasn’t the loggers affecting the owl.  It was the Encroaching Barred owl species attacking the Spotted Owl. Too bad it decimated the logging industry.

And before you knew it, it was 7 am and time to go.