Erick Alan Dahl – a 20-year veteran of aviation management and operations – will take over as the new director of Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport on June 17.
Dahl’s hiring also ushers in a new management structure for the airport, which has attracted critics and a lawsuit over its operations.
Dahl is replacing Paul Anslow who left in November after calling out neighbors of the airport in comments that were later disclosed to county officials.
Anslow termed people critical of airport operations “nut jobs” and dismissed their worries about airport noise, according to a 2021 transcript of a private conversation given to KUNC News as part of a public records request.
A Jefferson County news release states that with two decades of experience in aviation management and operations, Dahl plans to lead RMMA with a strong focus on community and stakeholder engagement.
Jefferson County hired ADA Consulting to conduct a search for Anslow’s replacement and produced 41 applicants for the roughly $150,000 per year job. Dahl was among three finalists for the director’s job.
Throughout his career, Dahl has held roles as an Aeronautical Analyst at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency and Airport Director at St. Louis Downtown Airport. He has expertise in operations, planning and construction, information technology, and community engagement.
“It is my privilege to serve as Airport Director at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport,” Dahl stated in the news release. “I am eager to leverage my experience to enhance efficiency, strengthen community relationships, and ensure the airport continues to serve as a pivotal resource in the region.”
Dahl has been recognized for leading multimillion-dollar airport development projects and integrating technology into airport operations. He has also led major initiatives to coordinate with community interests on aircraft noise abatement, runway/taxiway construction, wildlife determinants, and financial stability, the news release states.
He is a licensed pilot and a member of the American Association of Airport Executives.
Controversy and lawsuits
Neighbors of the Broomfield-based general aviation airport claim the facility’s rapid growth and its piston-powered air traffic have led to intolerable noise and dangerous pollution from the lead fuel used by its aircraft.
Boulder County and the Town of Superior are suing RMMA over increased “touch and go” operations that they claim are causing health and safety problems for residents living near the facility.
The lawsuit asks a district judge to force Jefferson County to limit piston-engine aircraft at the airport from conducting touch-and-go operations by training flights that land and take off without coming to a full stop. It is common for a single-engine flight to include several “touch and goes”, according to the complaint.
Three weeks after Anslow left, four of the six members of the airport advisory board resigned in protest of Anslow’s reported firing.
Moving county departments
Following Dahl’s start, RMMA will transition to Jefferson County’s Development and Transportation Department under the leadership of Director Abel Montoya. Montoya has approximately 30 years of local government experience where he was instrumental in several high-profile projects including the Front Range Airport Master Plan, licensure of Colorado Air and Spaceport, and the Denver International Airport noise mitigation program.
“We are confident in Mr. Dahl’s leadership and eager to continue working with the community on important issues surrounding RMMA,” Montoya stated in the news release.
For the past two and a half years, the airport has reported within the county’s Strategy, Innovation, and Finance department under the leadership of Chief Financial Officer Stephanie Corbo. While vacant, Corbo has been the acting airport director for the past six months.
Throughout that time RMMA has improved the voluntary noise abatement procedures, introduced a procedure to request pilots use the primary runway during nighttime operations to avoid overflying residential neighborhoods, purchased a fuel truck to begin the transition to unleaded fuel, and secured funding from the Federal Aviation Administration for a Part 150 Airport Noise Compatibility Study, according to the news release.
Dahl will assume his role as airport director effective June 17 and the airport will transition to Development and Transportation on June 24.