PENN TWP - After two years of legal battles and opposition by many residents, township supervisors on Tuesday approved the Butler County Airport's plan to extend its runway - with some conditions attached that were recommended by the planning commission.

The supervisors voted 3 to 0 to approve the airport's plan to extend its 4,005-foot runway by 800 feet, with the conditions that a fence be built on top of a retaining wall, the acquisition of a 92-acre parcel be completed, and the township engineer approve the storm water plan.

Supervisors objected to the storm water plan because a 24-inch pipe leading from a retention pond in the northwest portion of the property along Morgan Road fed into an 18-inch pipe.

"It won't work," said Sam Ward, chairman of the supervisors.

Supervisors voted 3 to 0 to table the storm water plan. They are expected to consider a revised plan on March 1.

Another condition is that airport authorities complete buying 92 acres from Mary Lou Waite. Ward said the airport plans to pay Waite $515,000 for the property, from which 359,000 cubic yards of fill dirt will be taken for the project.

Jeff Swanson of Lee Simpson Associates, the project manager, said acquisition of the property would be completed in the next day or two.

Supervisors and the planning commission also insist a fence be installed atop a retaining wall so no one could fall off.

Swanson noted there already is a chain-link fence around the airport property, but agreed a fence could be added to the wall.

If the conditions are worked out by the next supervisors' meeting, that would pave the way for construction to begin when the weather improves.

Airport officials have said the cost of the project will be about $6 million. The original estimate of close to $10 million included re-paving and re-lighting the existing runway and taxiway, but those items are not included in the latest figure.

Ninety percent of the project will be paid by a federal grant through the state Bureau of Aviation. The state and county will pay the remaining 10 percent.

The court battle over the runway extension began when the supervisors denied the airport's conditional use and preliminary land development permits on Oct. 1, 2002.

Airport officials appealed that decision. On April 1, 2004, Butler County Senior Judge Martin O'Brien ruled in favor of the airport.

The airport also won in Commonwealth Court.

The township then filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court, which declined on Aug. 9 to hear the case.

Supervisors and several residents had argued the longer runway would make the airport more dangerous with larger, heavier aircraft.

Airport officials contended the longer runway would be safer, and the courts agreed.

Residents who live near the airport also feared their property values would decrease as a result of the runway extension and a busier airport with larger airplanes.

They also argued that more homes would be in the airport's runway protection zone, which could subject them to hassles, such as obstruction removal when their trees grow into what is considered airspace.