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City of Renton leased tie-down spaces and hangars on the east side of Renton Airport, near Cedar River
Dozens of Renton pilots have abruptly learned they must delay their business activities and/or make new summer travel plans. Renton Airport Management just advised tenants in Cedar River Hangars and the Windsock Tie-down area that they won’t be able to access their airplanes for two of the most popular weeks of the summer flying season. The airport has been working on replacing security gates; the work has experienced delays, and has been criticized previously for not being well coordinated with airport users.
This lack of access from July 15 to July 28 is extra-aggravating since the airport is also closing the runway for 10 hours a day during three separate two-week periods this summer and fall, and the airport sharply increased the monthly lease prices of hangar and tie-down facilities by 42-74% a year ago.
Given all the significant disruptions, it seems it would have been appropriate to hold off on the hefty price hikes, and to credit the tenants for the weeks they can’t use the airport.
And tenants deserved more advanced notice of the lack of access to their airplanes and rented property, and more notice of the runway closures. The Airport Management should strive to do better in the future.
This is unbelievable! The Airport has been working on security gates since October 2001.
RAAC (Renton Airport Advisory Committee) was created by Mayor Tanner, beginning May 2001. I was the Kennydale Neighborhood Representative & at that first meeting, and RAAC member for over 20 years. There has been ongoing concerns about security at our Renton Airport since Sept. 11, 2001.
Work on security gates is extremely important. It has been done for years. There has never been this kind of disruption to Airport businesses and users. Saying this is tone-deaf of Airport Management is an understatement.
Marcie Palmer
City Council Member 2004-2015
RAAC Member 2001-2022
What the heck? It’s almost unconscionable to deny someone access to their leased space on such short notice and with no meaningful workaround. I suspect that you could enter from another gate to get there if the airport administration did their job and provided an escort on the apron at scheduled times.
But that would require work, and apparently we don’t do that anymore.