Bayer's Comments about the 2002 Statesman Journal Newspaper Article
Article: City Delays Proposal for River Airboat Tours
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Hutmacher's airboat in 2002 at Salem had a 454 cubic inch engine and a top speed of 35 mph. He provided earmuffs to passengers for the noise. The Oregon State Marine Board Director said that noise levels for boats are rarely enforced.
Hutmacher said that he would give rides with or without moorage at a City of Salem Park but wanted the moorage because potential customers would be at a park. Recognizing that Hutmacher's airboat would create disturbance, the City's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board concluded that it would be better to work with Hutmacher so that they could try to control and mitigate some of the effects of his airboat. In my opinion, I wonder if Hutmacher would be able to have a commercially viable charter airboat business in Salem if he did not have moorage at a city park. In 2003, Hutmacher agreed to pay the City of Salem only $50 per month for moorage, unless he grossed over $30,000 per month.
The Willamette River near Salem appears to be a noisy environment, with one observer reporting that the noise level was already too high. In my opinion, Oregon coastal estuaries such as Siletz and Yaquina Bays are quieter, and residents and recreational users may be less tolerant of airboat noise.
In my opinion, Oregon estuaries may be more vulnerable to disturbance of wildlife than the Willamette River because airboats could go into estuarine intertidal areas where other boats or jet skis could not and thereby disturb wildlife that would otherwise not be disturbed by normal boat traffic.
In this newspaper article, it appears that the only permission that Hutmacher lacked in 2002 was final permission from the City of Salem. However, in the City of Salem's report in 2003, it is stated that the reason Hutmacher did not offer rides in 2002 is because he did not get final approval for his Operator's License from the U. S. Coast Guard in 2002.
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by Tara McLain on p. 1A and 2A in the 11 July 2002 Salem Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon newspaper).
[Subtitle:] The Salem council first wants to do a noise study on the Willamette River.
[photograph of Hutmacher in his airboat]
[Photo caption.] BOATING: George Hutmacher, the founder of Hut Airport Shuttle, hopes to give tours of the Willamette River on his airboat. Hutmacher has applied with the city of Salem to operate the business out of a city park.
George Hutmacher sat on his throne of a captain's seat and readied his foot on the gas pedal.
"OK, put your earmuffs on now," Hutmacher said as the 454-cubic-inch Chevrolet engine behind him fired up.
Pushed by a 78-inch wooden propeller revolving at 2,000 to 2,500 times per minute, the airboat skimmed along the surface of the Willamette River.
Gliding by at about 20 mph, the boat passed blue herons, ducks and osprey. It easily passed over submerged logs and sandbars.
It's an experience that Hutmacher would like others to enjoy, but he has hit a bump.
The Salem City Council has delayed granting his request to operate airboat tours from Riverfront Park or Wallace Marine Park. The council wants the environmental commission to study the effect the boat's noise may have on the local habitats.
Biologists fear that the airboat will disturb nesting eagles and herons. The Salem Audubon Society said allowing the boat to operate will violate federal animal protection acts.
Richard Chesbrough, operator of the Willamette Queen, worries that the dock is too small for two commercial operations and the noise would disturb his customers.
But Hutmacher, who founded Hut Airport Shuttle, said he's been running the boats up and down the river for 15 years without a complaint.
He cleared an inspection from the U.S. Coast Guard. He has an operating license and approval from the Oregon State Marine Board. The life jackets and "earmuffs"--industrial strength ear protectors -- are stowed and ready for use.
Hutmacher is confident that he will get tourists up the river with or without approval from the City Council.
"I've had bumps all my life. No matter what I've had to do, I've had to fight," Hutmacher said later on his deck over the river. "I'm not afraid to walk in when the sign says, 'Don't come in.' "
He proposes running four 30-minute excursions daily up the river toward Independence for a fee of $20 per person.
City staff have recommended that he follow some rules, including avoiding the Willamette Slough. Hutmacher also would have to go slow past certain areas and follow conditions set by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Hutmacher said he's willing to follow the rules, even though he could set up his own dock on some of the five miles of riverfront property he owns along Highway 22 in Pok County.
The city would have no authority over him then, said Ed Jochums, director of community services.
Hutmacher could do that, but would rather operate out of one of the parks, where potential customers would stroll by regularly.
Salem's Parks and Recreation Advisory Board came to the conclusion that it would be best to work with him, to have some control and mitigate the effects, Jochums said.
Jochums couldn't estimate how long it would take the environmental commission to review Hutmacher's case, but didn't think it would be in time for tours out of a city facility this summer.
Hutmacher got a nod from a majority of the parks board, including Pamela Schmidling. She went with the group to Riverfront Park to hear Hutmacher drive by at high speeds.
"It wasn't any noisier than the Jet Skis that were down there," she said.
If he followed the guidelines, Schmidling predicted Hutmacher's business would attract people and be beneficial to the park.
Salem Audubon Society President Jim Conley said the noise level in the area already is too high.
Hutmacher said there is lots of noise and that still lots of birds and animals can be seen on the banks.
"That may be true, but we don't know how much wildlife has been driven out of the area already," Conley said.
Paul Donheffner, director of the State Marine Board, said Hutmacher's boat has to comply with noise levels.
The state doesn't have specific rules for airboats, but all motorboats made before 1993--like Hutmacher's--have to stay below 88 decibels.
A University of Florida study pegged airboat noise levels at 108 decibels.
But sound levels are rarely enforced, Donhoeffner said.
It's also hard to apply a rule designed for a completely different type of watercraft, he said.
Faron Floyd, vice president of American Airboat Corp. in Orange, Texas, said the tour boat he sold to Hutmacher is extremely quiet at lower speeds.
At its top speed of 35 miles per hour, it is quiet compared to newer, high-performance airboats.
"As far as noise pollution, it's not going to hurt anything," he said.
Airboats are cleaner than outboard engines, which vent exhaust underwater, he said. He also has sold the boats to dozens of government agencies and rescue operations, which use them in environmentally sensitive areas.
If Hutmacher ran his boat without being mindful of nearby residents and recreation enthusiasts, he'd be subject to a different kind of policing--from the public.
"If you don't operate considerately, then complaints will follow," Donheffner said.
Once he's satisfied the rules and regulations, Hutmacher hopes he'll be able to share his boat and the river with more than just his friends.
"Every person that I gave a ride to was absolutely thrilled," he said. "I thought maybe there's a need for this."
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