BURBANK : 2 of 3 Polled Favor Larger Terminal

Nearly two-thirds of respondents in a poll commissioned by Burbank Airport officials say they support plans for building a new, larger terminal.

Of the 800 Burbank residents surveyed, 64% were in favor of a new terminal and 30% were against it, according to a report released Monday.

Residents were asked whether they support a new terminal with nearly twice as many aircraft gates as there are now.

But, pollster Arnold Steinberg said, they were not asked specifically about whether they approve of quadrupling the terminal’s size and nearly doubling the number of flights in and out of Burbank--as airport officials intend to do.

The airport’s executive director, Tom Greer, said he was satisfied with the poll’s results, which come just a week after airport officials won an important court battle against the city of Los Angeles.

“I was pleased to the extent there is not a lynch mob out there waiting for us,” he said.

“It tells us the Burbank citizenry are pretty level-headed and they make up their own mind.”

At least one homeowner, who lives outside Burbank and opposes the multimillion-dollar project, questions the poll’s results.

“I’m presuming they didn’t ask people in the right parts of Burbank . . . the ones who are in the departure pattern,” said David Engelbach, a spokesman for the Citizens for Fair Airport Noise Homeowners Coalition. “I don’t know who they polled.”

The poll also revealed that 65% of respondents believe the airport’s nine commissioners are doing a good job. But 52% said the airport officials do a bad job of communicating with the public.

In addition, crime and gangs topped the list of most important issues, with the airport at the bottom.