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Air tanker base might stay put Forest Service delays decision to move it from Medford to Klamath Falls By PAUL FATTIG After raising the hackles of local officials, the U.S. Forest Service decided to delay a decision on whether it will close the air tanker base at the Medford airport. Instead of releasing a decision Thursday as planned following a three-year national study, the agency announced it would give local residents another chance to convince Uncle Sam that the base should remain in the Rogue Valley. The study supports moving it to the Klamath Falls airport, although agency officials stress that no decision has been made. The plan now is to hold a meeting within the next few weeks to allow agency experts to explain the study results and to allow local residents to make their point, said Tom Reilly, deputy supervisor of the Rogue and Siskiyou national forests. Reilly is currently the acting supervisor. No date has been set for that meeting. "We want to make sure all the concerns are heard," Reilly said. "We want to make sure there is a better understanding before we make our decision." Concerned that the base was going to be moved, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners spoke out against it and asked for a delay in the decision. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., also has called for further discussions. "We have some very good arguments why it should be kept here," said Commissioner Jack Walker. "There are a lot of people who will be affected if it closes. We want them to know they won't see local people sitting on their hands if they try to close it." A rally in support of retaining the air tanker base will be at 5 p.m. Jan. 27 at 5000 Cirrus Drive on the north end of the airport. "We don't want that facility moved," Walker stressed. He is gathering information on the economic impact of the base that he plans to release at the rally. Reilly said an economic analysis is slightly favorable toward moving the base to Klamath Falls, noting a computer model showed the savings would be some $900,000 annually. The exact cost of operating the air tanker base was not available Thursday. "But what it really comes down to is aviation safety," Reilly stressed. "Projecting out over a 20-year period, there will be more populated areas in and around the Medford airport. Medford is a much busier airport than Klamath Falls." At 4,000 feet elevation, the Klamath Falls airport also provides a better launch pad for dropping retardant on a fire in the Rogue Valley, he said. Local comments could make an impression on the decision, Reilly observed. "Ultimately, we're accountable to Congress for our budget," Reilly said, adding that it also answers to the Clinton administration. "They (commissioners and others) could work both angles. They've indicated they are going to do that. And that's fine. "But the reality is we're a federal resource," he added. "We're looking at the best way to configure the scarce resource we have to provide maximum amount of protection." Faced with a dwindling budget, the Forest Service and the Pacific Northwest Wildland Fire Coordinating Group have been studying the most effective and economical locations for air tanker bases around the nation. The effort precedes the agency's plan to acquire a new fleet of bigger and faster air tankers. Besides Medford, air tanker bases covering Southern Oregon and Northern California include Klamath Falls, Redmond and Redding, Calif. Air tankers have flown out of Medford since the early 1950s, when the Forest Service first started dropping fire retardant to control forest fires. Today's Edition : News | Sports | Business | Weather | Tempo | Classifieds Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA