Action by the Curry County Board of Commissioners in refusing to approve a letter to South Coast Lumber Company acknowledging their historic and continuing use of Airport Road for access to their resource lands has likely terminated a $2.8 million project to extend water and sewer service to the Airport and adjacent lands, Brookings City Manager Gary Milliman said today.
The Board acted to reject the combined request of the City and South Coast Lumber Company on June 3. The acknowledgement letter was the last piece of a complex resolution to an issue stemming from the refusal by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to approve an easement to South Coast Lumber Company across County property.
The City first requested the County approve the easements at the airport in April of last year.
The City and County stand to lose $1.7 million in federal grant funding approved three years ago. The City was poised to contribute $1.1 million toward the $2.8 million project, which is fully designed and ready for construction. Even though the County was a co-applicant, they had not committed any funding to the project.
A SCLC representative notified City Attorney Martha Rice last week that they would no longer consider granting an easement on their property for the water storage tank.