Some Maui residents
oppose longer runway

The noise of bigger jets and
the fear of alien species are the reasons

By Gary T. Kubota
Maui correspondent

WAILUKU -- The conversation halts when interisland jets fly over Jack D. Thompson's house in Spreckelsville, north of the Kahului Airport.

Thompson, 73, a retiree, fears that without proper controls, there will be more noise if the airport runway is extended from 7,000 to 9,600 feet for international flights.

"My concern is lengthening of the runway, which automatically will make this an international airport. I don't think we're ready for that yet," he said.

Some residents say their worries about noise and other effects have been put in a holding pattern, as the state's runway improvements are poised to take off.

State officials are still reviewing an environmental impact statement on the improvements, but Gov. Ben Cayetano has already expressed his support for the runway extension.

Cayetano says airport improvements in Kona have increased the number of flights into west Hawaii from Japan, and sees similar benefits occurring on Maui.

Maui businesses say the runway extension will also improve safety and help farmers to ship goods.

"Many times pineapples get bumped and sit on the runway to rot," said Lynne Woods, Maui Chamber of Commerce president.

Building the extension could proceed once Cayetano accepts the environmental impact statement. But legal challenges from the opposition are expected and could halt construction.

Expansion opponents say Maui isn't prepared to handle the volume of visitors.

"The whole impetus behind the airport issue is bringing in more and more tourists, which would force additional urbanization of our island and set us firmly on the path of becoming a second Honolulu," said Dana Naone Hall of Hui Malama Pono, a group against the extension.

Critics also fear international flights will lead to the introduction of more alien species and deplete the island's resources, including water. Hall said the impact could be devastating because Maui has more endangered native species than Oahu.

State transportation officials say they will be taking precautions to reduce the risk, as outlined in the impact statement.

Thompson isn't persuaded by what he has read in the environmental study -- promises, he says, that don't come with money for adequate improvements.

"There's a lot of words like, 'We support this, we will research this,' those kinds of phrases," he said. "If you want to keep alien species out, you got to have 100 percent support.

"Our infrastructure is not capable of handling more people than we have now."

Thompson said government officials have backed businesses when making important decisions about the airport.

Rather than comply with new federal regulations, interisland carriers in Hawaii received a federal exemption from flying quieter jet models until the year 2000, he said.

Thompson wants the state to establish noise standards that would fine airlines exceeding certain decibel levels during a month -- similar to standards in place at an Orange County, Calif., airport, he said.

Stephen Pitt, a former Spreckelsville resident, said he moved to Haiku several miles away "before he went crazy" from the noise.

Pitt said the sale of his Spreckelsville property has been on hold until government officials resolve the noise complaints. He said an appraiser has estimated the noise drops the property's value 25 percent to 50 percent.

"It's harder to sell because people are aware of the airport situation, and they continue to fear the airport expansion," Pitt said.

Thompson said just having a normal conversation is difficult. He and his wife are unable to watch an entire television program.

"If we want to see a program in its entirety, we tape it so we can turn it off when an airplane flies over," he said.