Vice Chair Philip Canal urges action on unlit towers; commission forwards safety advice to City Council

Vice Chair Philip Canal said the commission had received a resident complaint that obstruction lights on the airporttowers were out and reviewed an FAA "determination of no hazard to air navigation" dated Dec. 29, 2024. He said a contractorreport found climbing access to the lights had deteriorated, making the lights inaccessible, and added, "These non-illuminated towers do pose a risk to aviation safety." (Vice Chair Philip Canal)

Canal told commissioners the towers were listed in the FAA document as 200 feet above ground level and 207 feet above sea level and said those figures did not reflect other local factors such as hundreds of flight-school students, itinerant VFR pilots who follow waterways and roads, and low-flying rotorcraft. "None of these factors were mentioned in the final determination from FAA," he said, urging the commission to consider measures such as adding lighting or solar-powered signaling and to advise the City Council of the safety concern.

Commissioners debated cost, timing and authority. One motion to table the issue until the commission's next meeting resulted in a 3-3 tie and therefore failed. The commission then approved a separate motion to forward a written recommendation to the City Council advising it of the safety hazards posed by inadequate lighting on the towers; commissioners asked staff to collect cost estimates and engineering input before Council action.

Airport Director (name not specified) and others urged more investigation before a formal recommendation but supported notifying the City Council and the airport's project managers to obtain cost and engineering options. The commission recorded the tie on the tabling motion and confirmed—by voice vote—that it would transmit a statement to the City Council describing the safety concern and requesting further study.

Next steps: commissioners asked staff to seek cost estimates, confirm whether the towers will remain in planned development footprints, and report back at the next meeting; they also asked staff to inform the two council members in attendance of the issue.