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Photo by Jim Craven Air traffic controller Jeff Moore works the tower at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport. The Federal Aviation Administration is planning to contract out air traffic control at small airports, and the employees will have to choose whether to relocate, work for the contractor or retire. Air traffic control will go private FAA contracts out work at small airports like Medford's By CHRIS BRISTOL Every day they oversee dozens of "operations" -- industry slang for takeoffs and landings. But recently the air traffic controllers at Rogue Valley International-Medford Airport got some bad news along those same lines: Stay put and work for less or take off and relocate somewhere else. They have until April 8 to decide. "It's not an easy decision for anybody," tower chief Roger Brown said. "Being uprooted is never fun." As a cost-cutting move, the Federal Aviation Administration since 1994 has been turning over tower operations at so-called Level 1 airports to private contractors. It's not a unique business decision. Many airport services, from restaurants and bars to janitorial cleanup and parking, are already run by contractors. At the Medford Airport, even the firefighters work for a contractor. Contract controllers must meet the same certification and training standards as FAA controllers. Many are retired FAA staff. "It saves taxpayers money, with no loss of safety," said Mitch Barker, an FAA spokesman in Seattle. Rogue Valley International is a Level 1 facility, loosely defined as the smallest of airports with a staff of air traffic controllers. The biggest, such as San Francisco International, are called Level 5s. The Medford tower handles about 70,000 operations a year. Comparatively, air traffic controllers at the nation's busiest airport, Dallas/Fort Worth, handle more than 900,000 a year. The switch to contract controllers affects only Level 1 airports. For that matter, it probably affects only the staff. "It won't mean anything" to passengers and other fliers, Barker said. "It should be transparent even to pilots." But for Brown and his staff of seven, the switch means a lot. If they want to stay with the FAA, they have to move. If they want to stay in Medford, they have to take a pay cut. According to Brown, the FAA pays its air traffic controllers up to $49,000 a year. Contractors pay less, about $35,000 a year. The FAA offers better benefits, too. Medford tower staffers are guaranteed a job with the new contractor, London-based Barton Serco. If they have enough seniority, they can retire, then go to work for the contractor to supplement their pensions. Or they can stay with the FAA and seek transfers, but this option poses some risks beyond having to relocate. Only 22 Level 1 airports have yet to switch to contract controllers (out of 80 or so nationwide), and they are all slated to switch soon. Medford is the last Level 1 airport in Oregon to make the switch. All of which means that if a Medford staff member transfers, it will be to a much bigger -- and much more stressful -- facility. Of his seven-member staff, Brown predicted five or six will go. Some have been here for 20 years. He wouldn't say what his own decision will be, preferring instead to think out loud about the difficulty of balancing career and lifestyle. Over the course of his 30 years with the FAA, Brown has been stationed at big airports such as Portland, Spokane, Wash., and Oakland, Calif. He moved here three years ago, seeking a slower pace. "I live on the Eagle Point golf course," he said. "Do I want to move and lose that beautiful view, or what? "Big decision." Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA