The Norman City Council met to discuss the potential impact that adjustments made to the Max Westheimer Airport will have on the Westwood Golf Course and decided on changes to the way public comment is conducted during its meeting on Tuesday.
Max Westheimer Airport is a public use airport owned and operated by OU located at 1700 Lexington Ave. near Westwood Golf Course.
In a city council meeting on Aug. 29, members discussed the potential development of Westheimer that would include a new tower, extensions, runway and taxiway improvements and opportunities for additional hangar space.
During the meeting, City Manager Darrel Pyle said the improvements of the airport would cost $35 million, all from federal funding, but before the Federal Aviation Administration can sign off on the development, areas of concern must be addressed.
Pyle said that for Westheimer to make its runway extensions, the protection zone must also be extended, which would cross through E. Robinson Street and through the Westwood Golf Course.
Pyle said the FAA was concerned with the protection zone running through the golf course with no assurance that vertical property would never be constructed there.
According to City Attorney Kathryn Walker, OU proposed to the city a deal to acquire the small part of Westwood included in the protection zone and lease it back to the city for $1 a year for 50 years so long as the property is used as a golf course and does not interfere with the operation and development of the university’s airport at the university’s discretion.
Council discussed an objective to protect the area of Westwood while also finding a way for the Westheimer adjustments to be approved.
Both Ward 2 Councilmember Lauren Schueler and Ward 7 Councilmember Stephen Tyler Holman were apprehensive about the language within the proposed deal, taking issue with the provision of the golf course potentially interfering with development.
Schueler said she would be in favor of finding an easement deal rather than allowing the university to temporarily acquire the property.
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6:28 p.m.
The meeting is adjourned.
6:20 p.m.
Council proposed the idea of changing the sign-up process to speak at a meeting to an in-person rather than an online format. Ward 5 Councilmember Michael Nash said he was frustrated at the amount of residents who sign up to speak for each item on the agenda when they may not be passionate or well informed on the topic.
Heikkila asked for council's agreement on limiting miscellaneous comments to a maximum time of 30 minutes that will be moved to the start of the meeting. The changes would not start at the next regular meeting on October 10, but will begin in November.
6:10 p.m.
Council is discussing the idea of beginning meetings with miscellaneous comments to try and speed up the process of the meeting. Pyle said may prompt residents to leave immediately after they said what they wished to say.
Grant said there are several people who are operating on an agenda and will find a way to speak their mind even if the comments are taken away.
Council's biggest concerns regarding the comments is the spread of misinformation during meetings that may prompt unhealthy discourse.
Schueler continued to push back on the idea of limiting citizens' rights to express themselves during the comments.
“Democracy is messy and this is part of democracy is working with the public and hearing their input and allowing them to express themselves in the way that they want,” Schueler said.
According to Walker, the issue of trying to establish a form of commenting that would lead to better decorum during council meetings lies with the laws surrounding free speech rights.
“During my time on council, all four of the mayors have made these adjustments. And it has seemingly gotten worse,” Ward 7 Councilmember Stephen Tyler Holman said.
Holman said as council has made the process of public speaking more difficult, the residents may have gotten a little more expressive with the time they are given.
6:03 p.m
Mayor Larry Heikkila proposed to council to postpone miscellaneous comments, typically held at the end of city council meeting, for a year.
Heikkila said the comments have turned into a yelling competition between residents with opposing values and speakers aren’t giving council nuanced ideas to fix their neighborhoods.
Ward 4 Councilmember Helen Grant and Ward 8 Councilmember Matthew Peacock were apprehensive about eliminating the comments, but shared Heikkila’s belief that the comments have gotten out of hand.
“For a council that is pretty much a volunteering and part time and it's not our full time job (public comment) may be the only opportunity for some of us to have FaceTime with constituents,” Schueler said.
5:58 p.m.
Council agrees to propose the avigation easement to OU in hope the FAA does not require the university a fee title for the extension. Discussion regarding the agreement will continue after OU is sent the proposal.
Council will now have a discussion regarding city council meeting procedures for the city council handbook.
5:50 p.m.
Ward 4 Councilmember Helen Grant asked if the runway expansion would help improve OU’s aviation school and Norman Public Schools aviation academy, which is located at the airport.
Darrel Pyle, city manager, said the runway is part of a huge modernization of a brand new airport tower that will help assist OU’s academy and eventually lead to more aviation jobs.
5:42 p.m.
The easement is $2 million, but if the Federal Aviation Administration requires a fee title for the runway extension that the city will convey the property to OU. Then, the university will lease the property back to the city for $1 a year with an optional 50 year renewal.
The Jenkins Avenue project will be $350,000 and completed by Fall 2026. The roundabout design will be $1 million and the payment to OU for the remainder of property acquisition will be $827,300.
Ward 2 Councilmember Lauren Schueler and Ward 6 Councilmember Elizabeth Foreman asked how different this deal is in comparison to the original proposal.
Walker said the city wouldn’t be losing anything with the easement deal other than a few trees that may be in the area.
5:30 p.m.
The meeting has started.
Kathryn Walker, city attorney, is presenting to council the Jenkins Avenue easement project that will widen the street.
Walker is recapping the details of the airport runway expansion requested by OU for Max Westheimer Airport. About four of Westwood's holes and fairways on the golf course will be affected in the expansion of the runway.
Walker said OU’s original proposal included leasing part of Westwood’s property back to the city. Council’s proposition to OU is an avigation easement which would grant the right of flight in the airspace above. Generation of noise and impacts of the flight restricts the height of structures and other objects on the property.
