Latino area growth limited by airport — Steven Klafka
Wisconsin State Journal | Dec 1, 2021
It was encouraging to read about the energy new Latino residents are bringing to the North Side of Madison in Sunday’s State Journal article “Blossoming community feels ‘like its own town.’”
It was surprising there was no mention of the elephant in the room — the Dane County Regional Airport. For over 80 years the airport has made this part of the city less desirable. A few months ago City Council members questioned residential development along East Washington Avenue — ground zero for noise impacts of the county airport and the Air National Guard fighter jet training. This spring, an airport commissioner suggested that parents concerned about noise should move.
Problems will only worsen when the noisier F-35 fighter jets arrive at Truax Field. Don’t forget that we’re still waiting for the airport and National Guard to clean up their PFAS contamination of our groundwater and lakes, which shut down the North Side’s city well. Madison very much needs the vitality of new Latino residents more than our unsustainable airport.
Like Austin, Texas, let’s move the airport and free up thousands of acres for development so Latino and all city residents can have a healthy, desirable community.
Steven Klafka, Madison