The report calls for improvements to be made at the airport
LAMPSON FIELD — Lampson Field Airport is in need of improvements and updates to its general plan and other documents in order to qualify for grant funding and comply with state law, according to a report released in March by the Lake County Civil Grand Jury.
The grand jury’s report, approved by Lake County Superior Court Judge Andrew Blum, was submitted March 14 by grand jury foreman Mark Rothrock. Complete grand jury reports are typically submitted June 30, but the Lampson Field item was released early due to what Rothrock notes in his submittal letter as “the urgent nature of the time constraints outlined in the report.”
The report stresses that Federal Aviation Administration grant funding available for Lampson Field this year must be applied for by December 31, and urges Lake County departments to make the changes needed to the airport and its governing body in order to apply for grants.
“The Grand Jury found a number of compliance concerns,” the report states. “The goal of compliance is to ensure a clear path to obtain grants from the FAA to secure funding for the sustainability of Lampson Field.”
Though currently operational, the airport would need an updated master plan and a noise and safety-related compatibility study in order to comply with state laws, the report states. To do that, however, Lampson Field’s Airport Land Use Commission will need to be reactivated.
“That’s the absolute first step,” said Rothrock on Thursday. California code requires every county with an airport to establish an ALUC, which oversees an airport’s development and maintenance, and keeps it in compliance with state and federal law. Lake County’s ALUC, formed in 2004, has been inactive but is now being rebuilt.
According to District 4 Supervisor Tina Scott on Thursday, she and District 5 Supervisor Rob Brown were recently appointed to the commission, and are seeking applicants for the five remaining positions. According to state law, an airport land use commission must consist of seven members: two county representatives, two city representatives, two aviation experts, and one member of the public. Scott noted that Public Works Director Scott de Leon will likely serve on the commission.
The grand jury recommends that the ALUC be seated prior to June 15 in order to allow grant funds to be applied for this year.
Rothrock commented Thursday that chief among the projects for which grant funds should be used is the improvement of Lampson Field’s landing strip, which is currently in good condition but cannot accommodate passenger planes.
“First they need to make the landing strip bigger, deeper and wider,” Rothrock said. This would allow small commuter planes to be landed at Lampson Field, he said, creating a number of opportunities for the county.
“Right now the largest they can bring in is a 10-seater,” Rothrock said. Larger planes would mean more tourism, he suggested. The grand jury report points to the county’s recently-adopted economic development strategic plan, which identifies improving Lampson Field as a primary long-term goal.
The grand jury report finds that “airport management has experienced resistance from the County in its efforts to upgrade the facility” and that, therefore, “progress has been slow.”
A Lake County Chamber of Commerce-supported plan to build a pilot’s lounge at the airport is in its infancy. Chamber representative Lance Butcher said Wednesday that meetings had begun on the project, but no specific determinations had been made.
Butcher noted that the airport is “not in compliance, and things need to be updated. We need something that represents Lake County and gives people a good first impression.”
With a reformed ALUC in place to update the airport’s master plan and compatibility study and to apply for grants, Rothrock estimated that the commission could “do a lot of good before the end of the year.”
Applications for the ALUC may be obtained from the clerk of the Lake County Board of Supervisors at the Lake County Courthouse, Room 109, 255 N. Forbes St. in Lakeport, or by accessing the application online at www.lakecountyca.gov.
April 12, 2019
Lake County Record-Bee
By Aidan Freeman
No comments:
Post a Comment