By Angela Brown

Residence at airport considered for convenience, crime prevention

May 30, 2018 | 1:00 PM

North Battleford City Hall is looking at the possibility of allowing for a temporary residence in one of the hangars at the Cameron McIntosh Airport.

An local businessman and pilot wanted to establish a secondary residence at the site for convenience and to reduce the potential for crime, as vandalism and theft have been issues at the airport in the past. The matter was discussed at council’s meeting Monday, and council asked city administration to prepare a proposed amendment to a zoning bylaw for council to consider at a future date.

“Council’s instructions were simply to allow it as a discretionary use, which means if an individual wanted to develop a secondary residence out at the airport that they would have to get council’s approval for it,” Mayor Ryan Bater said after the meetings. “All this still has to go through the usual processes, including public hearings. There is still a long process involved.”

The city received the request from Scott Campbell, who owns a plane and hangar at 1-874 Airport Rd.

Campbell asked for permission to develop a 30-foot addition to the north side of his hangar, so the total size would be 80 x 100 feet. He said he would provide his own septic tank and fresh water cistern, and said the addition would have two levels and space to park a vehicle.

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In an interview with battlefordsNOW Wednesday, Campbell said he and his wife hope to have a temporary residence at the site for their convenience, to conduct business in the Battlefords, and so they could act as another set of eyes to protect their property.

“I’m a pilot. It’s also my hobby and I use it for business, so there are numerous reasons why we want to have a temporary residence there,” Campbell said.

Theft, vandalism a concern at airport

In 2016, Campbell said he had a trailer stolen from the North Battleford airport which contained three sets of aircraft skis, a set of aircraft landing gear, a folding boat and various other items such as tools. The total value of the contents amounted to over $100,000, he said.

“The stuff in the trailer was worth a lot of money, and really isn’t good to anybody unless you have specific types of airplanes,” he said. “I don’t think people realize what they are stealing.”

He said he has installed lighting, a security system and “live” surveillance cameras, but is still concerned as his hangar “houses a high-dollar-amount of aircraft and related equipment.”

Campbell said he hopes his physical presence at the airport he will help discourage criminal activity.

Airport Supervisor Fran de Kock confirmed vandalism has been an issue at the airport, and several planes at the site have been vandalized.

“We had serious vandalism here last year,” he said. “We even hired a security guard for 65 or 70 days. They did catch some vandals. There is way more traffic out here than there ever was before, and a lot of it is unwanted traffic.”

De Kock said a security system is in place but said he believes having someone reside at the airport would also help deter crime. He said he is aware of other airports that have temporary residences on-site.

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW