A key document for the Kodiak State Airport runway extension project was published recently, but it may not be available to the public until early next year. The process drew criticism Monday at an informational meeting of the Kodiak State Parks Citizens’ Advisory Board, a group that does not have access to the early environmental impact study (EIS) draft.

The project under discussion calls for expanding the safety areas for two of the airport’s three runways, runway 18/36 (north-south) and 07/25 (east-west). Safety zones are buffers at the sides and ends of runways designed to give airplanes extra space if they undershoot, overshoot or list to one side.

The project is controversial because some of the potential expansions would extend the safety zone toward the mouth of the Buskin River, one of the most productive salmon streams in the region.

Board member Mike Sirofchuck expressed concern that the document may be too far along to make changes before it enters public comment period.

“My concern is that by the time they open it to public comment, they will have formulated the preferred alternative,” he said.

The move to expand the runway is part of a nationwide aviation program that has a 2015 deadline. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Environmental Protection specialist Leslie Grey highlighted the fact that long-established FAA policies dictate which groups should receive a copy of the preliminary draft EIS.

“The preliminary document was only distributed to agencies and tribal governments,” Grey said. “It’s not like (the Kodiak State Parks Citizens’ Advisory Committee) was singled out to not receive it.”

Earlier this year, the citizens advisory board unanimously approved any FAA plan that would extend runway 18/36 south into the Coast Guard Base and Jewel Beach instead of north toward the base of the Buskin River.

The board requested the FAA take no action for east-west runway 07/25. But it acknowledged the FAA was unlikely to follow this suggestion and identified a 425-foot eastern extension as the best alternative.

Grey said the FAA does not know exactly when the public EIS document will come out, but expects it in the coming months. The comment period for the closed document ends Dec 18.

Fort Abercrombie benefits from cruise ship tax funding

At Monday’s meeting Fort Abercrombie District Ranger Kevin Murphy, distrcit ranger, also announced the park has secured funding for a $1.3 million project to improve vehicle access to Fort Abercrombie State Park.

“We are doing it thanks to the $50 per head cruise ship tax,” he said. “We can use it because a large number of cruise ship passengers use the facility. We’ve had a lot of congestion of taxis and private vehicles trying to use that space.”

Two-thirds of the funding will go to the area around the Military History Museum at Mission Point. Projects include repairs to the outside of the World War II ready ammunition bunker and a large vehicle turnaround with parking spaces.

The work around the museum will permanently close the Miller Point campsites. Murphy said when more funding is available the park plans to add campsites near the “Cry of the Wild Ram” performance site.

Another one-third of project funds will go toward improving the roadway into the park. The park plans to add a traffic circle where the road to Miller Point breaks off from the park entrance road.

Murphy said the park already has a rough timeline for the project.

“Money is already in the bank,” he said. “They’ll put it out to bid in the spring and I estimate construction in the late summer or early fall.”