===  New Field Progress Report # 1 (Cont'd.) ===

SLIDE 7 - This is a close up view of the "Land Use Map" for the area we are talking about.

Notice The Arkansas River at the extreme top of this slide.   The portion of land that we are particularly interested in is the upper right hand corner of the Green section.   It is labeled "Park / Open Space"!

Notice, also, two "sludge ponds" in the lower right hand area of the Green Section as we will use them as a reference for the next slide.

SLIDE 8 - This is another Google Earth photo of the section we are talking about.   You can see the Arkansas River looping down at the top and the two "sludge ponds" in the lower center of the picture.

Those ponds are presently being used by the city of Barling for some of their sewage treatment.   However, Bill and Ron drove and walked all around that area and did not detect any unpleasant odor.

Besides, according to Mr. Owen, they are scheduled to be closed within two years as Barling is slated to connect to the Fort Smith sewer system and will be cleaning up these ponds once they are fully non-operational.

SLIDE 9 - On the left-center side of the photo, you can see the I-49 projected path, and as I said earlier, they are presently working on the roadbed for the Highway 22 / I-49 junction overpass.   That would be in the lower left of this photo.

The land that we are looking at is located in the upper right hand corner of the area encompassed in the red dotted line!   While there is some really good places that are already mostly cleared in the lower left portion of the Red area, and the lower center portion just above the larger sludge pond, we can't use those areas.

I said the sludge ponds were to be closed down.   Unfortunately, for us, the area just above the sludge ponds is slated to become a mixed use, "Industrial and Office Area".

SLIDE 10 - So!   The area for our use would be that area depicted by the large Red Oval in the center of the photo.   Before continuing, I want you to notice that there is nothing to the immediate North of that Red Oval but trees and river bottom land.   Nothing to the immediate East but a pond, a creek and more river bottom land.

The yellow area to the left-center, reaching almost to the I-49 corridor, is slated to become another "Mixed Area".   This one will be a "Commercial / Residential" area, and will consist of a "Single Family Dwelling" Residential area with small businesses allowed.

Furthermore, the area shown in Pink has been set aside for the Arkansas Highway Department's "Mitigation Area".   I'm not certain what that means, but I think that has been given to them as kind of a "buffer area" leading up to the bridge across the River.

SLIDE 11 - is a closer view of that land with some distances measured:

1. The property itself measures about 1100 feet North to South and 3600 feet East to West!
2. It measures about 3700 feet from the North EDGE of "our" property to the River.
3. It is NO CLOSER to I-49 than 2500 feet.
4. That Residential Property Line is almost 1500 feet from the closest EDGE of "our" property.
5. Notice the gravel road that joins the lower right corner?   If we put our parking lot and runways in that area, we would be more than 2500 feet to the nearest possible house.

SLIDE 12 - Just so you can see how much room there will be if we get this new location we have been talking about - I have made a photo, again of Google Earth, of our present field at an altitude of 8444 feet.   (The altitude isn't important except to keep the same scale for comparison.)

You can see our runways and parking area at the center of the photo.   Since we can't fly over Highway 71, we rarely fly past the tree line on the extreme North East of the field, and hardly ever fly South of Treece Road except whatever is needed for "turn around" and/or to make an approach to the Main or Alternate runways...   The Red lines, then, would reasonably represent the boundaries of our present field wherein 90% or more of our flying is done.

SLIDE 13 - is another Google Earth photo of the proposed field from the same altitude of 8444 feet so the scale is the same as the previous photo.

As you can see, the area of our present field easily fits into the proposed area with room to spare.   As a matter of fact, if we were to move the red lines to the East so that the lower right-hand corner almost lines up with the gravel road coming up from the "sludge ponds" where it makes the right turn, we could put a gate there and have our parking area just inside the gate.

Of course there are some drawbacks that would need to be addressed ...

SLIDE 14 - is a much lower altitude Google Earth photo showing the trees that cover the area.   Should the club vote to give the committee permission to continue to pursue this property, we will address the "drawback issues" with Mr. Ivy Owen and Mr. Larry Evans at our next meeting.

The issues and concerns voiced by club members at this meeting were:

1. Is the land in the 100 Year Flood Plane?
2. If so, how will that affect our use of it?
3. Is it possible to get help with the clearing of the land?
4. What arrangements could be worked out as far as Lease term and costs?

The club voted to give the committee permission to proceed in trying to get a "tentative" agreement with the Chaffee Crossing people, subject to a satisfactory answer to the above concerns.

In closing let me state that both Mr. Owen and Mr. Evans made it perfectly clear that they WANTED the Flightmasters in that area!   It wasn't that they "might let us use the land", or that they "would tolerate us"...   Rather, it was that they sincerely WANTED us there and would do everything within their power to accommodate us.

As a matter of fact, when asked by the committee what type of lease might be arranged, and how much that might cost the Flightmasters, Mr. Owen replied, "Put your finger on the map in the Green areas and tell me you want that area and I'll do everything I can to make it happen!"

The committee is scheduled for a further meeting with these two fine gentlemen sometime following this club meeting...