No National Guard helipad on county land, Johnson County supervisors decide

Johnson County's supervisors won't allow an Iowa National Guard helicopter landing pad to be built on county property off Melrose Avenue.

Representatives from the guard attended the Board of Supervisors informal meeting Thursday to talk about the proposal, which was quickly turned down.

“I think that area is an absolutely bad place for a helipad,” said supervisor Janelle Rettig.

The guard inquired about building a pad on county land to the south of the Iowa National Guard Readiness Center at 4540 Melrose Ave., just west of Highway 218 on the western edge of Iowa City. The center opened a year ago.

The guard's Dave Umland said they likely will explore putting the helipad at the center, meaning the surrounding area may still be subject to occasional helicopters.

The guard's Ned Fry said they initially planned to put the helipad on the northwest corner of its property, but it would take a lot of development and the site across the street would cost less.

The helipad likely would only be used a few times a year for emergencies or visits by VIPs, he said. The Iowa City facility is a command and control location for the east side of the state, which is why the guard wants a helipad here.

Rettig said that in an emergency, the helicopters could land on property near the center like a cornfield, to which Fry agreed. Umland said they want the helipad as close to the center as possible.

The supervisors suggested the guard use the Iowa City Municipal Airport about five miles away. University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics plans to move its medical helipad there.

Mike Tharp, the airport's operations specialist, also suggested the guard use the airport, saying noise associated with aircraft is already centered there.

Noise was a concern of the supervisors. They said while the Iowa City airport has been at its location a long time, the people who live in western Iowa City did not move into their homes expecting to have helicopters taking off and landing nearby.

“These are big, big” aircraft, supervisor Sally Stutsman said.

Also, the county land the guard was interested in is home to Chatham Oaks, a residential care facility for people with mental illness.

Umland said the guard would consider the airport but probably will move ahead with planning for a helipad at the Readiness Center.

The land is zoned for higher levels of government and the city has basically no regulatory authority over state or federal property, said Jeff Davidson, Iowa City planning and community development director.

The helipad would include a 150-by-150-foot concrete pad plus another 30 to 40 feet of clearance space on each side, Fry said.