Hawthorne residents to vote on airport closure
Voters in Hawthorne will have the opportunity to decide whether to keep the 53-year-old airport open or replace the field with a commercial development.
In a 3-to-2 decision following acrimonious debate, the city council approved a referendum that will allow city residents to decide the fate of the airport. The vote followed a presentation from Paladin Partners LLC, a Los Angeles development firm. The company proposed using the 80-acre site to build a complex that would include shops, movie theaters, offices, and a hotel.
AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer Gary Parsons has been fighting vigorously to save the venerable airport and now plans to run for a city council seat in the November 6 election. Parsons announced his intentions after making a presentation to the city council in which he emphasized the potential negative effects of closing the airport.
Aracata gets portable tower
A portable controller tower has been delivered to Arcata Airport to handle contract tower operations. The tower was expected to see its first use in late summer when taxiway improvements were likely to complicate airport operations. Area pilots are being advised to check notams before visiting the airport to determine tower hours and frequencies.
AOPA rep to chair advisory committee
AOPA California Regional Representative Jack Kemmerly has been elected chairman of the California Transportation Commission's Technical Advisory Committee on Aeronautics.
One of Kemmerly's first acts as committee chairman was to appoint a group to develop a presentation for the August transportation commission meeting. The presentation is intended to show commissioners and top state government officials the role that general aviation plays in California. In addition, the presentation will attempt to define and enhance the role of government in aviation issues in the state.
Later, the Technical Advisory Committee expects to assist the transportation commission in its efforts to create legislation that will improve funding of the state aeronautics program. Additional monies could be used to address such critical issues as ground access to airports, incompatible land use near airports, and state and regional aviation system planning.
ASN volunteer seeks compromise on Petaluma sports complex
The AOPA Airport Support Network volunteer for Petaluma Municipal Airport is working on a compromise plan that could allow a proposed sports complex to be built somewhere other than along the airport boundary.
Thomas McGaw has spoken to city council members about a proposal for a local group called the Open Space Commission to purchase the land being considered for the sports complex. In doing so, the commission would pay the city to leave the land open. The city could then use that money to purchase private land within the city limits to be used for the sporting facility.
According to McGaw, some council members have been receptive to the proposal, which could resolve safety issues at the airport as well as concerns over environmental impact, traffic, site access, and third-party liability.
Marina says no to improvements
The City of Marina has instituted a "no growth" policy for Marina Municipal Airport, despite the efforts of airport supporters to obtain funding for infrastructure improvements.
Airport Support Network volunteer Bernard Nowlen met recently with Jack Kemmerly, AOPA's regional representative for California, to discuss potential funding sources for airport improvements. Marina Airport was formerly Fritzsche Army Airfield located on Fort Ord. But when the Army closed the base, the airport property was conveyed to the City of Marina to become a public-use airport. Since then, Nowlen has been instrumental in developing a commercial hangar on the airport, but the field requires considerable infrastructure development to make it more useful for the local pilot community.
Nowlen has tried to demonstrate to the city how improvements could generate additional income for Marina. But the city has indicated that it does not want airport improvements and has turned down a $500,000 federal runway improvement program grant. To complicate matters for airport supporters, the city manager is also the airport manager and the city council and airport commission are also one and the same.
Development supporters gain in Sonoma
A change in the composition of the Airport Land Use Commission has led to reversal of an earlier decision to oppose a proposed hotel adjacent to Sonoma County Airport.
Two new members of the commission have sided with prodevelopment forces to reverse the earlier decision. The next step will be ratification from the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, which is expected to occur shortly. After that the proposal to build a hotel less than one mile from the end of the runway will be sent to the Windsor City Council, which is also expected to approve the plan.
Bill Massey, the local Airport Support Network volunteer, is working with AOPA staff to find ways to oppose the planned development.
Santa Clara airports to get updated master plans
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors has approved a project to update the master plan and business plan for the county's three airports (Reid-Hillview, Palo Alto, and South County). The project is expected to take up to three years to complete.
Robert Lenox, the Airport Support Network volunteer for Palo Alto Airport, says the decision means such urgently needed projects as a new terminal building and new hangars will be up for consideration. However, the cost of creating the updated plans has raised some eyebrows in the community. The original estimate for the work was $650,000, but that cost has now soared to $928,000. While the FAA and the state have agreed to provide $682,500 toward the project, the shortfall would have to come from the airport system and would constitute 10 percent of the system's total budget for the year.
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