The Metropolitan King County Council will meet at the Museum of Flight’s William M. Allen Theater, 9404 East Marginal Way South, on Monday, September 12 to receive its first briefing on Southwest Airlines proposed moved to King County International Airport (KCIA)—better known as Boeing Field.

The Council’s Committee-of-the-Whole will meet at 9:30 a.m. on Sept. 12. Seating is limited in the Allen Theater. There will be no public testimony at the meeting, however written comments will be accepted and can be sent to the Council at 516 Third Avenue, Room 1200, Seattle, WA 98104.

“The impact of Southwest’s proposal will be dramatic and would be felt county-wide,” said Council Chair Larry Phillips. “If they were to move, their decision would affect not only the neighborhoods immediately surrounding Boeing Field, but also spill over into communities that would have to live under their flight paths. With its potential to impact taxpayers, this is truly a regional issue that both Councilmembers and the public need more information on. Our meeting will help get the word out.”

“The result of a move by Southwest Airlines to Boeing Field would be to establish a new flight path over Georgetown, Magnolia, West Seattle, Queen Anne, Beacon Hill and other Seattle neighborhoods,” said Councilmember Dwight Pelz, whose District includes KCIA. “It would result in an increase of between 100 and 200 additional flights a day over Seattle neighborhoods—or a plane every four to eight minutes, fifteen hours a day. We already have too much air traffic over Seattle. We cannot allow for an unchecked escalation of airline noise in Seattle or let Boeing Field turn into another Sea-Tac Airport.”

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly is scheduled to brief Councilmembers on Southwest’s proposal at the meeting. Councilmembers will also hear from two separate panels whose members include:

• Charlie Howard, Transportation Planning Director, Puget Sound Regional Council.
• Linda Strout, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Port of Seattle
• Bob Wallace, Sound Air Alliance
• Scott Hamilton, Leeham Company, LLC.
• Steve Mullett, Mayor of Tukwila
• Lawrence Corvari, President, Regional Commission on Airport Affairs
• Holly Krejci, representing the Georgetown Community
• Robert Bismuth, Magnolia Community Club

Harold Taniguchi, Director of the King County Department of Transportation, and Kurt Triplett, Chief of Staff for County Executive Ron Sims, are also scheduled to meet with Councilmembers.

The Committee-of-the-Whole is the only standing committee on which all 13 members serve. It considers complex legislation and policy issues of interest to the entire council.

King County Television will replay the Committee-of the-Whole Meeting in its entirety on Monday night at 5:00 p.m. or immediately following the LIVE broadcast of the afternoon County Council meeting.