To the editor:

We look forward to reading the Marion County Record each week to keep up on the current events.

In lieu of a subscription, we spend the extra to get the paper a day early rather than wait for the post office to deliver it.

My recent involvement in a council meeting is the reason for writing this letter. The airport is essential to my living and is of special interest to me as a resident of Marion County.

In response to Amy Kjellin’s letter in the March 31 issue of the Record: I praise her for her support for her family. In addition to the remarks in her letter, however factually incorrect they are, it is good to be involved in public debate.

With just a few minutes of research, Amy could have learned quite a lot about the facts stemming from last year’s Free Flight event.

Some might not realize the issue of the rutting made by the vehicles driven on the grass runways and taxiways. The statement made by Amy about the size of the vehicles also was incorrect. Apparently, she failed to remember that I was there also. The City of Marion could have suffered a major lawsuit had someone flown to our beautiful airport and had a major accident due to the “ruts that disappeared in a few weeks” that remain to this day. Go to the HAFFA Web site and look at the pictures of the vehicles parked on the runway and taxiway at the airport last year.

The other thing that should have been taken into account when getting in this debate, is obtaining factual information about the subject. Again, quoting Amy in part, she is disappointed in the airport board being so “shortsighted” and using the airport for “their own private playground that is being paid for by city taxpayers.” The facts is only the trash collection and electricity is paid by the city, but recovered with income. The airport is one of the entities owned by the city that has a positive cash flow. It is the pilots and the farmer renting the tillable portion of the land and hayfield that makes the airport profitable, and it actually decreases the city tax load.

Dick McLinden
Airport board member
Marion Municipal Airport