BY TERRY FLYNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
HEBRON -- The Cincinnati - Northern Kentucky International Airport plans to make things easier for disabled people boarding smaller commuter aircraft.
And airport officials are searching for ways to fix a year 2000 glitch that means parking gates might not open or spit out tickets on Jan. 1, 2000.
The Kenton County Airport Board's executive committee heard a proposal Monday to purchase three special motorized lift vehicles capable of taking disabled people, especially those with wheelchairs, on and off commuter aircraft that can't otherwise use jetways employed by the larger planes at the terminals.
"The airlines and the airports are required by the FAA, under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), to have this type of apparatus available," airport deputy director of aviation Dale Huber said. "We want to purchase three of the lift vehicles (at over $31,000 each)."
Airport legal counsel Will Ziegler said the FAA directive calls for both airports and airlines to jointly provide the necessary equipment to move persons with disabilities on and off aircraft. "But it is best that the airport not wait for the airlines to move on this, and acquire the vehicles ourselves," he said.
In a separate development, airport officials also discussed the need to address a parking control glitch tied to the year 2000. "We need a new system in place by 12:01 a.m. in 2000 or we won't have any parking control because this system can't compute 2000," planning and development director Bill Martin said. "It's only going to work through 1999."
Mr. Martin was referring to the machines that dispense the timed parking cards and lift the parking barrier gates. Like many other forms of computerized equipment, they were designed and built without consideration for changing from a date with 19 in it to a date in 2000.
Mr. Martin said the airport has a bid of $55,000 for the design work to replace the system. He said replacement equipment could cost between $750,000 and $1 million.
New site for range
Planning and development also wants to prepare the mapping for eventual relocation of the airport police pistol target range, now located in the airport's southern area where the new DHL terminal will be built.
"The new range will be west of the (north-south) runway," Mr. Martin said. "It will be surrounded by a high earthen berm." The airport's pistol range is used by most of the law enforcement agencies in Northern Kentucky, as well as some federal agencies, including the FBI and Secret Service.
