Please help Boulder Airport (Colorado - KBDU)

G-Man

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AirmanG
The City of Boulder (Colorado) has opened a public poll concerning potential futures for Boulder Municipal Airport: It asks if people think the airport should be developed for residential property.

The airport, KBDU, is an untowered airport and active gliderport within city limits. Airnav: https://www.airnav.com/airport/KBDU

This seems an attempt to gauge public support for the airport, or lack of it - without vociferous support from the pro-aviation community, bad things could start to happen soon.

https://www.beheardboulder.org/airport-community-conversation

Please help. If you've had anything to do with Boulder's airport, please complete this poll with a pro-aviation attitude, and share this with everyone you can think of who would help. The poll closes May 4.

Thank you.
 
The survey is definitely very subjective and targeted against the airport.Pretty much unable to answer anything that promotes the airport.
 
Taking cues from Chicago, Meigs field. Basically why keep that for the ‘wealthy’ airplane owners.
 
Put a positive spin on the open comment fields. Say you're looking forward to using the space for aviation and aviation training, and that the city should look to lower costs in order to get more people involved in aviation careers. Also click the boxes for middle income home owner in the area.
 
I filled out the questionaire as a person living "Outside Boulder County."
From the questions and choices offered in the questionaire, I think Boulder Airport is DOOMED.

Why do they care what gender I was "assigned" at birth?
Why do they care about what gender I identify as?

KBDU will be closed under cover of "sustainibility", "inclusiveness", "diversity of housing choices", and what ever rationalization they can give for turning over prime, public real estate to friends, family, and cohorts.

The only hope is if they have taken FAA funds.
 
I tried to submit a pro-aviation questionnaire, but the "values rank" question was non-optional and I had no zero option. And I would zero all 13 of those. puke.

It was possible to answer the questions with a view to keeping the airport open. There was a free-form question also to describe bdu's reliever airport status and why that was amazeballs.
 
Why do they care what gender I was "assigned" at birth?
Why do they care about what gender I identify as?

It is extremely common to gather demographic data when doing public surveys. Surprised you haven't seen that before.
 
This was by far the most important demographic information to collect when considering the future of an airport.
It's impossible to make rational, objective decisions about the future of a community airport without understanding the composition of opinions based on gender identity.

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In all seriousness, shared with a friend who lives outside Boulder and asked him to fill it out :)
 
Remember when the largest air evacuation since Katrina took place at the Boulder airport after massive flooding happened just west of Boulder? I guess they forgot...
152338432.AV50663r.jpg
 
Remember when the largest air evacuation since Katrina took place at the Boulder airport after massive flooding happened just west of Boulder? I guess they forgot...
View attachment 116670

Yes. Very likely.
I did answer the survey. But probably not how they wanted. I answered the airport is great for those who want to fly in and visit the town. Without such an airport, we would not have visited boulder.

Tim
 
Just out of curiosity I went to look at the airfields website and hot dog but the local govt sure is promoting filing noise complaints. The noise abatement areas made me think I was looking at a PDF for a California airfield. They really really don't want airplanes there, like at all ... very discouraging reading. Filled out the questionnaire, I hope it helps. I was planning on going there later this year to visit my uncle, he lives on the north side of Denver. apparently I'll nee to be on my A game for approach.
 
Thanks for posting this!

fight the (anti GA) power!
 
Boulder has had noise abatement rules for many years.
 
I filled it out, @G-Man . I'm not saying I had to fib a little, but I had to fib a little.
 
Besides the obvious question of Boulder airlift evacuation, is the quickly approaching integration of EVTOLs. I would think GA airports would be the ready made solution to the migration from spoke & hub to the point-to-point system.
 
Saw this on Reddit....

KBDU Update From “Save Boulder Airport”

Dear Airport Supporters,

We have an important update for you. Although the ballot measures to close the airport have been withdrawn, an analysis of the recent mandatory city reporting shows that the Airport Neighborhood Campaign was funded by only four people, two who are County residents, and was used primarily to hire paid petition gatherers. Yet, the effort pushed the city into a costly lawsuit with the FAA.

Analyzing the Airport Neighborhood Campaign report, they raised a total of $23,309, including in-kind contributions. The number one donor, representing more than 60% of the cash contributions, was Hepburn Ingham, who donated $13,499 and owns a Boulder County property 0.4 mile from the end of Runway 08. He is a frequent noise complainer and airport antagonist. Laura Kaplan the campaign organizer, was the second largest donor at $5,716.

Without any public discussion or notice, the City of Boulder filed a lawsuit against the Federal Aviation Administration on July 26, 2024. The committee raised no money since early May, so one could conclude that they had no intent to run a campaign. They wished only to mislead the city into taking unprecedented measures to disable the airport.

“These disclosures show they just duped the city staff, City Council, and the public. It was not a grassroots effort at all, but bought and paid for by four donors, two who live in the County, who then hired paid petition gatherers. There was no groundswell of support to close the airport. The entire effort was a charade funded primarily by a disgruntled neighbor who has now cost the city up to $750,000 suing the FAA. It was an abuse of the ballot measure process,” states Jan Burton, Chair of the Save the Airport Committee.

Our own Save Boulder Airport committee, organized to protect the airport and defend against the ballot measure, reported 118 total contributors, for a total of $42,384, and no contribution over $2001.00. This was truly a grassroots effort, including many Boulder city and county residents who thought the push to close the airport was unjust and not inclusive or reflective of public opinion, and detrimental to the fabric and future of our Boulder community. For one, the broader Boulder County residents that the airport serves through flood and fire rescue operations would not have been able to vote on the ballot measures to close it, and the students under 18 that the airport currently provides educational outreach, scholarships, and aviation training to would not have been able to vote on their own future. Multiple residents have reached out to us to have their voices heard on this issue.

It’s no wonder the Airport Neighborhood Campaign withdrew the ballot measure. They had used all of their money on paid signature gatherers who misled the public, saying the ballot measure was to support affordable housing. Fewer than 10 people, including former and current Council members, a current Planning Board member, and a current Housing Advisory Board member, as well as two significant donors misled the City into thinking it was a broadly-supported measure. The city took the unprecedented step of filing a lawsuit against the FAA, which will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, or perhaps millions of dollars if they continue down this path.

The messages we must send to the City, City Council, and the press is the following:

The City should immediately reverse course and begin to accept Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) grants for important projects like the introduction of unleaded fuel to the Boulder Airport.

The City should immediately seek FAA grants to improve the facilities that have become rundown, due to the city’s refusal to accept FAA grants over the past 2.5 years. (If the city does not accept FAA grants, during a time of limited funds and budgetary shortfalls, it will be forced to fund airport improvements from its general fund.)

City staff should also look at unwinding themselves from a lawsuit that is costly, they are unlikely to win, and has little public support.

Thank you again for your support. For those of you who requested a prorated return of your donation, we have mailed the checks. We will continue to keep you updated and will continue to work to protect and preserve the Boulder Airport.

Save Boulder Airport campaign team
 
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