The closing of the state police aviation unit at Williamsport Regional Airport may be tied to simple manpower problems.
Then again - maybe not.
State Rep. Rick Mirabito, D-Williamsport, said he's not quite sure why the airport no longer will house two aircraft used for helping law enforcement officials.
"I think what we need to do is analyze all the information. We need to know our goals," he said.
The aviation unit has used a fixed-wing airplane and a helicopter to provide aerial support to federal and local law enforcement agencies and assist in non-emergency situations.
The aircrafts provide search rescues, vehicle pursuits, criminal surveillance, marijuana education, crime and traffic scene photography, and transports.
The plane has been moved to a aviation unit in Harrisburg and the helicopter to a site in Hazleton.
But lawmakers, among them state Sen. E. Eugene Yaw, R-Loyalsock Township, and state Rep. Garth Everett, R-Muncy, feel as if state police in Harrisburg have never provided them with adequate reasons as to why the facility at the local airport is closing.
They also think the decision was made to shut it down before local officials had a chance to question officials about it.
The lease for the unit is set to expire Jan. 31, but Everett said the fight is not over.
Gov. Tom Corbett has not responded to a letter sent by lawmakers seeking answers. That letter was signed by Everett, Yaw and state Reps. Matthew E. Baker, R-Wellsboro, and Tina Pickett, R-Laporte.
"I don't know if that means we are being ignored, or if they are looking into it," Everett said.
Mirabito said it is his understanding that state police think the helicopter, at least, can run more efficiently out of Hazleton where more people are trained to operate the aircraft.
That would allow for staffing of the helicopter 24 hours a day, which has not been the case at the local airport.
However, Mirabito said he's unsure if the real reasons behind the decision don't have to do with state budgetary issues.
The local aviation unit is one of two of the state's seven placed on the chopping block.
Airport spokesman Dave Frey said the local facility is one of the busiest in the state.
He accused state police officials of closing it before having any kind of plan in place.
What's more, Frey said, the helicopter can run more efficiently out of Williamsport, which is just 500 feet above sea level compared to Hazleton where its 1,100 feet higher.
Lower cloud cover conditions at the Hazleton site would lead to more frequent grounding of aircraft, he explained.
The airplane, meanwhile, has been transferred to the State College facility, which at 1,200 feet also is much higher than the local unit.
Frey said if manpower is a problem, why not simply transfer here troopers trained to operate helicopters.
"If Hazleton has more than enough guys to fly, why not send one over here?" he asked. "They are grabbing one reason after another to close."
He noted that troopers must pay for their own pilot training, which costs between $15,000 and $20,000, without being compensated.
"We have a full-time (control) tower here," Everett added. "They (Hazleton) don't."
Mirabito said he's trying to understand what's driving the decision to close the unit.
If it is budgetary, people must understand that tight spending plans, such as the one passed by the state last year, bring with them consequences.
State police in Harrisburg could not be reached for comment for this story.
