At the Westmoreland County Airport Authority meeting on Tuesday, board members discussed the two-day event that brought an estimated 150,000 people to the gate at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport in Unity. Just as many were estimated to have stopped along nearby roadways to watch the June 7 and 8 demonstrations, including the U.S. Navy's Blue Angel precision jet team.
While passing around an enlarged photo he took of the June 7 crowd, board member Don Rossi said even with that number of people, the planning by Executive Director Gabe Monzo and the staff was as precise as a Swiss clock.
“We were lucky enough this year to probably expose this airport to the most people that have ever been at the combined shows put together,” he said. “It was just wall-to-wall people on Saturday, and Sunday wasn't far behind that.”
Monzo addressed parking issues and the flow of traffic, which caused two-hour waits for some people. “We have some things we're going to change,” he said.
Anthony Ferrante, chairman of the promotions committee, said organizers will review parking and discuss ways to alleviate traffic before next year's show, scheduled for June 20-21.
“There's only so much we can do when you take that many people on a two-lane road,” he said after the meeting.
PennDOT plans to widen Route 981 and add a turning lane by 2017, but some temporary solutions are needed in the meantime, Ferrante said. Using the berm to create a third lane for through-traffic may help, but some delays are to be expected, he said.“When you have 100,000 (people), what are you going to do?” he said, adding that travelers taking regularly scheduled Spirit Airlines flights also needed parking places. “Years ago, the parking lots would be all empty when the people would get in. (Lots are) full before they even get here.”
He estimated that attendance was double that of 2012, the last time the airport hosted a show prior to the federal government sequester that grounded the Blue Angels.
“I think we were all flabbergasted by the amount of people that showed up,” Ferrante said.
Once storms rolled in on the second day and the Blue Angels couldn't fly, some attendees questioned why the flight schedule couldn't have accommodated the jets earlier in the day.
Monzo said scheduled times are strictly followed for planning and safety reasons.
“Temporary flight restrictions ... go into place, and they're set by time,” he said.
“There's road closures set by time. It's not just a matter of the Blue Angels taking off and flying. Everything is set by a timeframe, and we have to stick to that timeframe. ... You don't just change that on a whim. That's something that's planned and double-planned and triple-planned.”
Authority members also reviewed the 2013 audit, which reported no discrepancies, but suggested that handwritten ledgers should be digitized.
Monzo said that process is already under way.
4 firefighters praised
The Westmoreland County Airport Authority Tuesday recognized four firefighters from Pleasant Unity Volunteer Fire Department who responded to help a 56-year-old Uniontown man in cardiac arrest.
Chief John Bacha, Hilary Bacha, Jim Rosebosky and Mark Ferrenberg helped administer CPR and revive the man using a heart defibrillator.
“An hour and a half later he was sitting up in bed, talking to his family,” said John Bacha. “We're just glad we had the training and the tools.”
Moe Haas, public safety director at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport, lauded the quick action of the firefighters and their support at the air show and in everyday operations.
“Without these volunteers from our local area, we really would have a hard time in completing our job,” Haas said. “I really appreciate you guys.”
Source: http://triblive.com
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