Learning from the past
Now that the SAMP Public Comment period is closed, we decided to post some ‘golden oldies’. This is a Federal Way City Council presentation on the SAMP from 2018. It is so similar to the 2024 process one might decide that the only thing to do is throw up our hands. We disagree. All we have ever said is this, “Don’t keep making the same mistakes over and over.”
The entire video is worth your time. But the link takes you to a public comment by one of the original members of StART, Chris Hall. He references a 1997 Mitigation Study that was “the path not taken.” During the Third Runway, most people were completely focused on stopping the Third Runway, and had no interest in ‘mitigation’. In 2018, Mr. Hall tried to bring the discussion back there. Even then, none of the city councils (including Federal Way) showed much interest in that approach either. Instead, Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park and SeaTac entered into a Four City Interlocal Agreement, which, once again, focused on flight paths.
It is now almost 2025 and the SAMP is here. We hope that all our local governments are finally ready to listen to Mr. Hall.
BONUS: Note the video preview image. In 2000, before the Third Runway, the airport processed as many flights with two runways as today with three. But a large part of that meeting was spent talking about how the airport could not ‘possibly’ add more capacity. Even today, many people say the same thing. We really need to stop denying reality.