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HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution 2010 - 01 F-35 Air ForceC I T Y OF REXBURG America's Fapnily Community Resolution 2010 —1 A RESOLUTION TO THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE, THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION REPRESENTING THE STATE OF IDAHO IN THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES. WHEREAS, the U.S. Air Force has had a presence in Idaho for more than 56 years, with numerous facilities, including Mountain Home Air Force Base and Boise's Gowen Field; and WHEREAS, the Secretary of the Air Force approved Joint Strike Fighter basing criteria for both training and for operational bases for the new F-35 mission; and WHEREAS, Mountain Home Air Force Base was selected as a finalist as an operational base and Boise's Gowen Field was selected as a finalist as a training base; and WHEREAS, Southern Idaho's climate is well -suited to these missions, with more than 321 flyable days per year, a key selection criteria; and WHEREAS, Idaho's facilities provide ample and unhindered training airspace close to installations, which enables more training time and less fuel consumed; and WHEREAS, Idaho's facilities are unencumbered by the encroachment of civilian land use, which lowers the environmental impact on surrounding communities; and WHEREAS, Idaho facilities have the capacity to support at least three squadrons each, including runway space, ramp space, personnel housing, and maintenance and hangar bays necessary to accommodate these new missions; and WHEREAS, the City Rexburg is a patriotic community, and supports members of our community in the military, and would welcome the new F-35 mission. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the City Council and the Mayor of the City , Idaho, that we urge the U.S. Air Force to select Idaho for its F-35 missions. HARD WOODLAND, MAYOR ATTEST: BLAIR D. KAY, CITY CLERK CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the above is a true copy of a Resolution passed at a regular, duly called special meeting of the City Council, City of Rexburg, held on February 03, 2010. BLAIR D. KAY CITY CLERK Richard Woodland From: Ken Harward [KHarward@idahocities.org] )nt: Tuesday, January 26, 2010 10:52 AM o: Richard Woodland Subject: Letter from AIC President Tom Dale Below is a letter from AIC President Tom Dale, Mayor of Nampa. Below his letter is a draft resolution. January 26, 2010 Dear Mayor Woodland, I am writing to tell you of an opportunity before the State of Idaho. There is a new top gun in the world of jet fighters. It is the F-35 Lightning II, developed and built by Lockheed Martin for use by the Air Force, the Navy, and the Marine Corps. This is a super -sonic fighter with stealth characteristics that comes fully loaded with all the whiz- bang high-technology stuff you would expect, and some you've never even imagined. Stuff that was science fiction when the f-15's and F-16's were developed is on the F-35. Many of you know I am a pilot, and love anything to do with aviation, but I'm telling you -)out the F-35 from more than personal interest. Mountain Home AFB and Gowen Field have made the short list of locations for major training and operations missions for this new fighter. If Idaho is named the home base for these missions, it would be a tremendous economic boost to the state, in the range of $2 billion annually. It could create countless opportunities for businesses supporting these missions in the area. Everyone in Idaho would benefit from having these missions based in our state. Governor Otter in his State of the State address called on cities, counties, businesses, and individuals to do their part in convincing the Air Force that Idaho is the ideal location to bed down these F-35's. One of the key factors considered in a decision of this sort is the level of community and citizen support. To assist in this effort, I am asking all cities in the state to adopt a resolution to officially express support of making Idaho the home base for the F-35 missions. This is time critical, so please address this with your city councils as soon as possible. Send a copy of the resolution to Don Dietrich at the Idaho State Department of Commerce (P.O. Box 83720 Boise, ID 83720-0093). Below is a sample resolution you may use for this purpose. Mayor Tom Dale,