Opposition To Regional Airport Vocal In Response To Continued Push For Land

Jim Van Zomeren and his daughter Anna Schafer (right) look at a map of the airport with Jerry Searle, a planner with HDR, while other landowners discuss in the background.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The plan to develop a regional airport has been discussed for nearly two decades.

Any early plan didn’t pan out, and then over thirteen years ago, the cities of Pella and Oskaloosa began working on a plan to develop a regional airport between the two cities.

Mahaska County joined in, and the three entities drafted a 28E agreement to develop and oversee a regional airport.

Along the way, landowners and concerned citizens have opposed the airport. A case they were part of went to the Iowa Supreme Court, ultimately allowing Mahaska County to exit the 28E agreement, ending a potential use of eminent domain to acquire land for the airport.

Now nearly a year after that Iowa Supreme Court ruling, Oskaloosa looks to annex portions of 163 to help it connect to the land it had previously purchased before the ruling.

City leaders have been making offers to purchase the land, and publically, the current landowners have raised their voices once again to oppose an airport on their property. A project that they thought had died at the Iowa Supreme Court.

In a recent group meeting at Oskaloosa City Hall, landowners like David Prine shared his sentiment. “I told you last week that I am totally against this airport. We don’t need it. We need farm ground more than we need concrete.”

From there, the meeting got vocal and emotional as individuals expressed themselves.

Prine and his family have owned that ground since before Iowa gained its statehood.

Jack Rempe is also a landowner whose family farmed the land before 1880, and he shared with officials that he opposes the airport and has done so for a long time.

Anna Schafer looks at a map of the proposed airport that would impact her and her families home if the regional airport was built.

Anna Schafer lives on one of the farms directly affected by the airport, saying, “I obviously very strongly oppose this.”

Schafer added, “When you say that eminent domain is not an option, but I think what you’re failing to understand is that it’s going to end up at that point, because we have already made our decisions and no amount of money thrown at us is going to change that opinion.”

Schafer said, “This is so much bigger than a plot of dirt and money. It is just so much bigger than that now. I think a lot of us have no interest in helping you progress this project, figuring out the road when we don’t want the ultimate goal.”

Jim Van Zomeren, the father to Anna, said, “I’m totally opposed.”

Van Zomeren said he is happy that the process to build the airport is now in the open versus actions taken “behind our backs years ago.”

Oskaloosa City Manager, Amal Eltahir, asked the landowners and concerned citizens why they opposed the airport.

A rural resident expressed that he was concerned that he’d end up within city limits, and Eltahir said it was an idea for the city to annex the right of way along 163. “That’s still a concept.”

the resident said he didn’t ever see himself benefiting from being in the city of Oskaloosa.

The rural resident said that he opposes the airport and that the annexation is a way for the city to gain eminent domain and condemnation powers in that location.

Eltahir said that condemnation wasn’t part of the process at this point.

“But it’s not out of the question completely?” asked Nick Ryan, one of the voices behind the social media presence ‘Stop the Airport from being built in Mahaska County’ Facebook page.

Ryan asked Eltahir, “You swear to us right now that you will never use eminent domain or condemnation?”

Eltahir responded, saying, “That’s not the goal.”

Ryan reiterated that eminent domain or condemnation isn’t off the table.

Amal Eltahir (right) discusses the city’s plan if the city were to annex land for a regional airport.

Eltahir responded, “I know what efforts we are taking. That’s not part of it.”

A member of the landowner’s group expressed that for approximately 20 years, the prospect of building an airport has been pushed forward even though the public has shown they didn’t want it.

In reference to former Oskaloosa City Manager Michael Schrock, this individual said that Schrock stood before a meeting of 400 and told them the airport was happening, and they weren’t going to get a vote on it. “We’ve just been run over ever since.”

“Well that’s behind us,” said Eltahir.

“No it’s not behind us,” the group member said.

“We’re here today. We’re taking a different approach. We’re negotiating with the owners. We’re not discussing eminent domain. I know that’s what you guys [are] all thinking, but that is not what is happening here.”

The rural resident, once again, expressed his desire not to be annexed into the city of Oskaloosa. “I guarantee that some way, this place will find a way to cheat me out of my rights as a landowner.”

Ryan added that the annexation was to regain eminent domain authority lost when Mahaska County left the 28E agreement for the airport.

Eltihir said that statement wasn’t true, but the annexation needed to plan for the services for the airport and the zoning required for air restrictions.

Eltahir said, “I don’t know how you make it about eminent domain. We will never discuss…” The rest of her comment was lost, as someone in the crowd said, “Because you don’t have 80% of the landowners out there on board for your airport.”

A crowd member said that each landowner would “get runover.”

“You’re going to deny the eminent domain, but it’s still going to happen,” said another crowd member.

“We’ve never seen an honest move out of the city on this whole deal,” said another crowd member.

A verbal battle broke out between Ryan and Eltahir over the 28E agreement that created the South Central Regional Airport Agency or SCRAA, and what the Iowa Supreme Court ruling indicated on that document.

Jerry Searle, a planner with HDR, then refocused the discussion on the proposed regional airport and the farm-to-market road concerns expressed by the Mahaska County Supervisors at an earlier meeting.

A Mahaska County Supervisor also addressed the crowd in an effort to refocus the discussion on the farm-to-market road and the safety concerns for farmers it could bring.

The meeting then focused on individual conversations or small group conversations. Landowners met with Searle and reviewed maps, and opponents of the airport spoke with Eltahir about city plans for the region.