Venice airport residents demand full environmental study as master plan nears completion
Critics held a demonstration before a planning workshop, citing soil and water contamination, while city officials maintain the January deadline for the final plan.
By Anthony Brooks ·
Residents opposing the Venice Municipal Airport master plan held a demonstration before a workshop at the Venice Community Center, renewing calls to pause or stop the planning process. The group urged City Council to order a comprehensive environmental study of the airport's impact and to scrap a planned digital tower.
City officials have already budgeted $200,000 for an environmental review currently underway. Airport Director Nicholas Dumas stated that the master plan must be completed in January. He noted that the tower project is moving forward under the direction of the Florida Department of Transportation.
Madeleine Zubyk, an airport neighbor, presented the Council with a community audit guide at an October 27 meeting. She described the guide as a baseline for judging the honesty of city consultant reports. Zubyk distributed copies of the guide at the recent workshop. The document cites an independent, NELAP-accredited laboratory that detected severe chemical and fuel residue contamination migrating from the airport into Deertown Gully, which feeds into the Gulf.
Zubyk told the Council that because pollution is confirmed, the city must test all airport outfalls, conduct deep core soil testing, take air samples, and prepare a remediation plan and budget. Shane Ingoglia of Ricondo & Associates Inc., the city's consultant, told the Citizen Advisory Panel in May that the airport complies with federal environmental laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Air Act, and the Clean Water Act, as a condition of its grant agreements. He said the Federal Aviation Administration will decide whether an environmental assessment or a more stringent environmental impact study is required.
The workshop operated as an open house with several dozen panels on easels and no formal presentations. City staff and Ricondo representatives stationed around the room answered questions, while attendees left comments on forms at two central tables. One panel displayed a landscaped wall designed to deflect noise and exhaust emissions, a feature subject to FAA approval.
Tracey Kehoe, a member of the Citizen Advisory Panel, said noise is her primary concern. She views the airport as a valuable city asset but wants more mitigation efforts. Kehoe also proposed a standing advisory board on airport issues to give residents a forum for their concerns. No such board has existed since 2008, when the Council voted 4-3 to request the resignations of the previous board and disband it.
John Moeckel, a member of Venice Aviation Society Inc., said the city's consultants are providing good information as the plan moves toward its January presentation. He stated, 'It’s going to get done.'
