On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 16:41:17 -0500, Andrew Gideon
wrote in Message-Id:
ne.com:

Larry Dighera wrote:

But the penalty is to levied
against the city of Chicago if I'm not mistaken.

Fine the city all funds paid for Meigs over all time multiplied by some
"penalty clause" factor.

This would never happen again.

- Andrew



Unfortunately, it looks like the fine, _IF_ Daley is found guilty, is
going to be $1,100.00 per day. But the real question here is, why did
it take AOPA to demand FAA enforce the notice provision requirements?
Or, what prevented the FAA from imposing the mandated fine on Chicago
for Daily's hubris in the first place? Does the Chicago boss have the
Administrator under mob control?



-------------------------------------------------------------------
AVflash Volume 10, Number 08a -- February 16, 2004
-------------------------------------------------------------------


CHICAGO FACES LITTLE FINES FOR MEIGS
The city of Chicago could face almost $100,000 in fines for its sudden
closure of Meigs Field last March 30 but an incipient FAA
investigation won't bring the beloved airport back to life. As AVweb
told you last Thursday, the FAA has agreed (almost a year later) to an
investigation into the late-night destruction of Meigs' lone runway
while aircraft were parked on the ramp. The closure allegedly violated
notice provisions, which require an airport owner to provide at least
30 and up to 90 days of warning to the FAA that it intends to close an
airport. Mayor Richard Daley at midnight sent a battalion of heavy
equipment, under police guard, into the sealed-off airport and ordered
workmen to carve large X's out of the runway.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#186723

....CLOSURE NOTICE NOT SUPPLIED...
Soon after the excavators had done their work, the FAA acknowledged
that Daley had the legal right to close the airport. However, federal
law requires that an airport owner give at least 90 days of notice. In
an emergency, or for national security concerns, only 30 days of
notice is required if the airport has a published instrument approach,
which Meigs had. Chicago notified the FAA of Meigs' closure the day
after the runway was wrecked. If the FAA finds Chicago guilty, it can
fine the city $1,100 per day for anywhere from two to 90 days of
absent notice.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#186724

....FRIENDS LOOK FOR BRIGHT SIDE
Chicago officials have vigorously defended Meigs' closure and the
relatively small fine isn't going to change their minds on the future
of the airport. However, Meigs supporters did their best to draw what
encouragement they could from the announcement of the investigation.
"It's good there will be an investigation and the public will hear
about it," said Rachel Goodstein, president of Friends of Meigs (FOM).
The group also hopes the investigation will raise the profile of an
alternative plan they've devised for Meigs that would include a park
and an airport.
http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#186725