Leader and News-Press Editorial: Time to speak up for the terminal

A series of public workshops focusing on the replacement of the Burbank Airport terminal have been taking place in recent days, with one more scheduled for 5:30 p.m. next Thursday at the Burbank Marriott. Area residents — particularly Burbank voters — should make every attempt to attend the study session next week.

As so often is the case when a major development is under consideration, the loudest voices being heard right now about the proposed new terminal belong to those who object most strongly to it. Their biggest concern seems to be related to noise, an ongoing battle that the airport has done much to mitigate over the years. But the objectors are raising as many other fears as they can think of in the hope of bringing the project to a standstill.

In a 2012 online survey, 79% of those surveyed who identified themselves as Burbank voters said they were in favor of replacing the now 83-year-old terminal. About 32% said they were not. But it is the latter group that is continuing to sound off. This is understandably worrisome to airport officials because under the provisions of Measure B, approved in 2000, voters must give their approval before the new terminal can be built. If they arrive at the polls uninformed, they may be hearing the echoes of the loudest complainers and balk at approving the project.

The focus of the debate going on today should not be about whether the terminal is built, but about how it is designed. Those “79 percenters” who supported the idea last year had best not only pay attention to the workshops, but get behind the project — and with a deafening roar.