Plowing of property blocks runway while court case pending

To the Editor,Much has been happening on the north end of town at Meyers Airport, former home to Skydive Tecumseh. But it’s not the new businesses and sixteen private pilots and their planes that Andy Aalto said he would bring to the airport when he became the new owner.Instead, the runway has fallen into ill repair. Grass has grown so tall that a farmer has come to bale it, twice this summer. And on August 18, an herbicide was sprayed on the field, killing all vegetation. There is a camp ground at the airport on Skydive Tecumseh property where a dozen full-time Skydive Tecumseh employees live. After the spraying, four of them complained of headaches, hives, rashes, and respiratory problems and sought medical attention. Also, a pet dog developed problems and is still recovering.On Sunday night, around 7 p.m., a farmer came in and began plowing the land. He worked until midnight, and returned on Monday to finish the job. I have heard Aalto leased the property to a local farmer who intends to start planting. By plowing the land adjacent to the nine acres of airport property that Skydive Tecumseh owns, Aalto has effectively blocked airplane access to the runway for Skydive Tecumseh.All this has happened in spite of a court case pending in Circuit Court in Adrian. In December, a judge will decide if Skydive Tecumseh has a legal right to the use of the runway, due to statements and expectations that were made when Skydive Tecumseh bought the nine acres on the airport in 2010. Skydive Tecumseh has opened a satellite business in Napoleon while the case works its way through the court system.Apparently Andy Aalto believes he is above the law and feels no need to wait for a judge’s decision.Another question that needs to be asked: How can he farm an area that is zoned commercial?Last year 15,000 skydives were made at Meyers Airport. Three thousand people visited Tecumseh last summer to make tandem skydives and eat and drink in our restaurants and visit our convenience stores and gas stations. And in place of a viable, lucrative local business, we have a hay field. It’s a sad day for Tecumseh.Rhonda CheeverTecumseh