SELDOVIA AIIO SEIOATE BILL08
Serr.te Dill 48 assumed even larger pro
portions in Seldovia’s future this week.
When councilmer listened to Chwx engineer G.
J. Paulie at Monday's special meeting, they
learned that the contemplated airport pro
gram hinges on the passage of that bill.
o w
No Senate Bill 48, amended or as it stands
now, then no airport funds from the Federal
government for Seldovia this year and1;probab
ly not next. True, there nay be more terri
torial aid forthcoming in the event the enabr
ling legislation is" not passed, but failure
of this bill and the consequent failure of
Federal aid would mean revamping the entire
planned program for the city's airport.
Still in committee at this writing, the
bill is expected, to make its bow in the leg
islature soon, and when it. comes to the
floor, there’s going to be a fight. Oppon
ents of the measure onpose it on two major
points: (1) Members of the governing beard,
which will be established by the bill to
oversee aviation*s development in the terri
tory, must be representatives of certificated
carriers operating cn scheduled flights with
in the territory. That - limits board member
ship to choice from among only a handful of
men, and the bush pilots, in particular,
don’t like the idea. (2) One provision of
the bill would h^v^nuarter the governing
board in anchorage, and-First Division repre
sentatives, jealous of the removal of any
government agency from the city, will,fight
that. Then there are also economists in the
legislature that will balk.at the apnropria
tion of o30,000 to set up board offices.' m :
However these issues are minor as opposed
to the primary objective of the bill, which
is to allow seven municipalities in Alaska to
take advantage of $10,000,000 of Federal
funds for the construction and improvement of
airports this year. It is estimated that the
$10,000,000 represents an investment pf from
$15,000,000 to "13,000,000 which will come to
the territory unc1 ^r this first year of air
port planning.
Seldovia, Dilling
ham, Seward, Fair
banks, Palmer, anch
orage and Juneau
stand to reap the in- J.
mediate benefits, but
there are 25 citiesJ
which expect to make"
use of federal funds
in the’planned seven
yea^ airport program.
Senate Bill 48,
either in its present
form or revised to
please the politi
cian's, must pass.
It»s nothing unusual
that has been cooked
up for Alaska1s bene
fit. Twenty states
have passed similar
legislation•
If you are inter
ested in Seldoviafs
future, then ybu
know that a municipal
airport is an absol
ute must for this
city, xind the fast
est way to get start
ed on that airport is
to take advantage of
the help the Federal
government is offer
ing us this-year. You
can* .he.lp boost the^
program along by wir
ing or writing your*
legislators to urge
passage of the mea
sure.
Get a letter or
wire off on tomor
row fs mail. It*s
your chance to help
Seldovie on the way
up. *