Politics & Government
Stronger Airport Runway is Measure S Goal in Napa County
A provision in a voter-approved 1974 airport ordinance requires voters to okay any changes to the main runway at the Napa County Airport. Measure S seeks to update the runway to handle 21st-century aircraft.
The main runway at the Napa County Airport would be reinforced to handle heavier aircraft if county voters approve Measure S on the Nov. 6 ballot.
A vote of the people is required to update the runway because of an earlier ballot measure approved by voters in 1974, which permitted the runway to be lenghtened but included the restriction that further changes would also have to be voter-approved.
According to Napa County counsel Minh C. Tran, whose analysis of the measure accompanies this article, the 1974 ordinance limited the runway extension to accommodate loads of about 50,000 pounds per dual-wheel aircraft.
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Modern Federal Aviation Administration runway standards for the aircraft fleet currently using the Napa County Airport require a capacity of about 99,000 pounds per dual-wheel aircraft, according to Tran's analysis, also available for download at the Napa County Elections Department website.
A "yes" vote on Measure S indicates voter approval of increasing the design strength of the runway. A "no" vote opposes runway reinforcement.
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