Hartwig says airport safety zone is necessary

Fremont City Administrator Bob Hartwig said a proposed ordinance to create a safety zone around Fremont Municipal Airport is needed.

Members of the Fremont City Council will consider the ordinance to establish the safety zone when they meet tonight.

City council members meet at 7 p.m. in the second floor council chambers of the Fremont Municipal Building,

400 E. Military Ave. A study session for the meeting is set for 6:45 p.m.

In a staff report, Hartwig is recommending that council members suspend the rules that require proposed ordinances to be read at three consecutive meetings so the ordinance can be approved tonight.

“Time is of the essence, and I am requesting that the council suspend the rules of reading and adopt this as an emergency ordinance,” Hartwig said in the report.

The “emergency ordinance” label puts the ordinance into effect as soon as it is approved by the city council and signed by the mayor. Otherwise, an approved and signed ordinance goes into effect 15 days after publication.

In the staff report, Hartwig said he and Mayor “Skip” Edwards met with Federal Aviation Administration representatives and members of the Fremont Municipal Airport Advisory Committee on April 29.

“In that meeting, the FAA expressed concern that airport zoning should be reviewed as it relates to height limitations near runways,” he said. “The FAA wants cities to take steps protecting its investment in airport property, plant and equipment.”

The new airport safety zone would create a buffer within 2,000 feet of active runways where any new construction would be limited to 65 feet high, the staff report stated.

The proposed ordinance would also place a temporary moratorium on new construction more than 65 feet high until current safety standards can be reviewed and updated.

Attempts to reach Hartwig Monday for additional comments were unsuccessful.