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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Land Swap Ends Dogfight Over Airstrip

Taxpayers forked over at least $80,000 in county-owned property to settle a messy legal battle over an airstrip near Garwood.

But residents of the Bar Circle S Ranch subdivision, who fought for years to shut down the strip, are relieved that small planes will no longer take off and land near their homes.

Airport owners have agreed to close the landing strip that fell within 50 feet of some area homes in violation of county laws.

In exchange, Kootenai County commissioners Tuesday gave the airstrip owners seven small pieces of land.

Commissioner Dick Compton said the transaction was necessary to settle a lawsuit that could have cost taxpayers even more money.

“There were some mistakes made by previous commissioners,” Compton said.

The problem dates back almost a decade to county action - or inaction - that allowed houses and the airstrip to exist side-by-side even though county laws ban runways within 2,000 feet of homes.

For about 50 years, the old airstrip had been used as a cropdusters’ runway surrounded by mostly vacant land. By the early 1980s, the runway had fallen into disrepair and was no longer being used.

In 1990, then-commissioner Frank Henderson said so many trees had grown onto the runway that it no longer existed. County rules dictate that once an airstrip has been abandoned for six months, it can’t be returned to use without a permit.

So commissioners gave approval for a development - Bar Circle S Ranch - to go in next door.

But a year later, when residents were building their homes, pilots again started using the airstrip.

Residents, fearing for their safety, urged commissioners to shut it down.

But runway owners argued that the Federal Aviation Administration had never stopped listing the runway as a landing strip. As a result, they argued, it had never been abandoned.

Angry, fearful residents sued runway owners and the county. Runway owners countersued to ensure their runway wasn’t closed.

To settle the dispute, commissioners offered runway owners Larry Gilman and Charles Tranmer several scraps of property to shut the runway down.

All parties appear satisfied with the settlement.

“They (the properties) are scattered hither and thither all over the boonies,” said Malcolm Dymkoski, attorney for Gilman and Tranmer.

He said his clients intend to sell the land and keep the cash rather than relocate the runway. He estimated the value at between $80,000 and $100,000.

Commissioners say they’re glad the dispute ended without greater expense.

And homeowners are thrilled.

“We’re very happy, of course,” said resident Carolyn Rose. “The takeoff and landings were right over our property. It’s a big relief to all of us to have that gone.”

, DataTimes