Every day General Aviation airports are threatened by developers wanting to bulldoze them and put up another office building or row of ticky tacky houses. The developers often succeed, usually because they have the deepest pockets in the battle. One such battle is raging now in Southern California, at perhaps what is the most beautiful airport in the state. Why should the public step up and fight their local airport closing?
From the Friends of Oceano Airport website: "Oceano Airport was built in the 1950's to serve the communities of Pismo Beach, Oceano and Grover City. This unique airport is within a short walk of the beautiful Pacific Ocean and sandy beaches.
Oceano, in addition to perhaps being the closest airport to the Pacific Ocean, is a vital link in emergency services in San Luis Obispo County. Life-flight, California Highway Patrol, Sheriff Aero Squadron, Civil Air Patrol, Diablo Canyon evacuation, Beach rescues, Arroyo Grande Community Hospital, Angel Flights, (and) CalStar all make use of Oceano airport."
That second paragraph is key. What the public won't hear from the developers is that by destroying this airport, community services are affected. It can be easy to think of an airport as simply a source of noise. Many believe (wrongly) that small airports are simply the playgrounds of the rich. The truth is that small airports are a lifeline to a community. During emergencies, small fields are often the only way to get rescue crews and supplies in safely. Airports are extremely effective during properly executed evacuations, as well. All that the office space they want to build over the runway will add is more buildings to an already saturated market full of empty offices.
Why is this important to Bay area residents? Because our small airports are threatened by closures, also. Reid-Hillview in San Jose has been fighting to stay open for decades. If the Bay area should suffer from an earthquake, supplies will come from local airports, such as Oceano, into our small airports, such as Reid-Hillview. One only needs to look as far as the recent Chile and Baja quakes, the Baja Sur Hurricane, or Hurricane Katrina to see how General Aviation provided vital services, and in doing so, saved countless lives.
How can you help? The developer held a "public meeting" on Wednesday March 17th. Over 60 pilots attended the meeting, but only a handful were allowed in the room. Although there were six-eight empty seats, Mr. Edwards denied access to those who indicated they were pilots.
He is holding a series of 6 meetings. The second "public" meeting is now set to further discuss shutting down the airport. This meeting is set for April 21, 2010 in Grover Beach. The public is encouraged to attend, Wednesday, April 21, 2010, at 4:00pm at the Filipino Community Center located at 885 South 13th Street, Grover Beach. The one-hour presentation will be followed by questions and answers.
For further information, please visit the Friends of Oceano Airport website at http://www.friendsofoceanoairport.com
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